All that's left are Whispers
by Gatomon1
Summary: THE SEQUEL TO "ONCE UPON FOREVER!!!!!" Alright...enouch with the caplocks...anyway, here's the prologue for the sequel to "Once upon Forever." Please read and review!
1. Prologue

Alright

Alright! The sequel to "Once upon Forever!" Well…at least, the _prologue_ for the sequel…I wrote this one day in Science class when I was really bored…and it really seemed to fit.

Before you read it, let me explain. This takes place _years_ after I left off…as in…lots of years…as in, the Digidestined are the _only_ living creatures left on planet Earth…what will they do? I need to know if you're going to want to read this.

And this is from Mimi's point of view, I guess. Or rather…about Mimi. And yes, I _am_ working on "Fateful Destinies," "The sound of a Heartbeat," "Once upon a Digi-tale," and "It wasn't me," but I just had to get this out! ^_^

~*All that's left are Whispers*~ 

Life is passing by. Standing there, she can almost feel it. The wind combs through her hair with silent fingers. In front of her eyes, what was once alive withers and dies. The people fall, silent screams upon their lips. 

The oceans dry and disappear 

The fire goes out and drifts not near. 

All symbols of life long gone, while she stands, timeless, all alone. 

Death is lingering in the air, 

And all of this she cannot bear. 

Ashes wisp around her face, only to disappear into nothingness. 

Everything is long dead, 

As into despair she is led. 

And all that's left are whispers. 

  1. it was short. But, hey. *shrugs* I need to know what you think, and if you're going to want to read the rest, so please review! Please?

Gatomon_1


	2. Eternity and a Day

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

Alright! I have FINALLY come up with more of this! ^_~ now, I know that I have a million other fics to finish, but I just HAD to post this! Enjoy…it's the sequel to "Once upon Forever," in case you didn't know. The flashback is kinda confusing, but it'll make sense later on. In fact…the whole thing is confusing, so just e-mail me if you have any questions!

Dedication: To Kate, because she put up with my complaining about how confusing this is…^_~

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*Mimi's point of View*~

~*Flashback*~

"The element of Fire," the whispery voice announced. "Who shall receive the gift?

No one else stepped forward, and, as I stared straight into the blazing light of fire, I knew that it was my destiny.

I stepped forward. "I shall." My voice sounded strange to my ears, almost as if I hadn't heard it for…forever.

The blazing flames spread outward, enveloping me.

"Do you accept the power of Fire?" the whispery voice demanded of me.

"Yes." My voice did not quiver. Not one little bit. And with that, the power was instilled into my soul 

~*End of Flashback*~ 

Looking back over the last eternity, I just can't believe that this has all happened. It never should have happened. From that long ago day…it never should have occurred.

It was all over…in a way. In many ways, I guess. The terror of being captured by the public, was over at least. But not the terror of being captured by the grief.

The hiding from society was over. But not the hiding from each other…and from our thoughts.

Life was over…except ours. 

The only thing that wasn't over in any way was Eternity.

Sometimes I feel like I've lived for eternity and a day. But that's impossible, of course, as you can't go beyond eternity.

I'm getting all mixed up again. But I have nothing else to do. The element of fire doesn't take up _all_ my time, you see. So I had plenty of time to think. To get lost in my thoughts…and in my grief. 

I suppose I should slow down. You probably already know the beginning…about how it all happened. But let me recount it all.

Upon defeating Apocalamon, a curse was released upon us, the Digidestined. The curse to live forever.

To make a long…_very_ long…story short, we ran from the public, who feared us, enough to try to capture us…to kill us, even though it was impossible.

So anyway, here we are. You may have a few questions. Questions like…how old are you? Do you really want to know? I've lost track. I could just say, "I'm 16!" because that's how it was. We were supposed to stop aging at 16. 

But in real years…um…I just can't remember. Over a million, certainly.

There's no one left. No one, but us, the Digidestined.

All of the human race…except for us eight immortal humans…are dead.

Animals, as well. 

How do you eat, then, you ask? We don't. We don't need to. At least, I don't. I wouldn't know about the others. We've all lost touch.

It's the way we wanted it to be.

So now you know that. Next question. What's the element of fire? And why are you talking about it?

The first part of the question isn't hard to figure out. It's the power of fire. And I'm talking about it because I control it.

I'm the Angel of Fire. Devil, you can say, if you want. Or Sorceress

Or just an evil witch.

Why…and how…do I control fire, you ask? And what's been going on, you want to know?

Here's the next part of the story. 

~*Part 1*~

~*Eternity and a Day*~

All of Homo sapiens were dead. Except for us, of course.

Around fifty years after the fall of the last mortal human, we just couldn't stand to be around each other anymore. We fought too much…couldn't stand the sight of each other, anymore.

We were too overcome with guilt. So we went our own separate ways. We each blamed it upon ourselves for the downfall of the human race.

But before we left, we held a kind of…I guess you could say…ceremony.

We had found the 'Stone of Elements.' Using it, we called upon the powers of the Earth, and divided them up among us. We then divided up the Earth, each residing on our own land.

I lived…and ruled, I guess…over Filicitra. The land of Fire. Filicitra was in the place that former Europe had been located in. Yes…I had renamed it. I couldn't bear to keep the name. It reminded me too much of the now dead human race.

I could use fire for anything I wanted. Anything at all. In a way…I _was_ fire.

I suppose that you want to know what the others control over. I could just say that you have to wait. Wait until it's their turn to tell their part of the story. 

But I guess that I _could_ fill you in. A little bit. Though we have lost touch, I don't want to take over their parts of this story.

Matt ruled over the element of Water, and resides in former Antarctica. I don't know what he renamed it…or if he just kept the name "Antarctica." I guess it kind of suited him. It figures that he would choose such a cold place.

Matt. Yamato Ishida. I was still deeply in love with him, even though we had broken so far apart…

No. I wouldn't think of him.

Then, there was Tai. The power of Illusion. The power to provide any kind of illusion that he wished. A powerful power.

But I was happy with Fire. Tai had taken over South America. I don't know why. He just had.

Sora, my best friend forever. Sora had the power of Wind, and had blown away to Asia. Sometimes I wished so much that I could see her…just talk with her…about anything. To pour out my problems to her.

But then, I would remember how, together, the eight of us had destroyed the Earth and all it's species. And I would turn from the thought.

TK, the Angel of Hope. Who would ever have thought that he would rule over Darkness and Night? It was just to…dark…almost evil…for him. He lived in North America. 

And Kari, the Angel of Light. Her's I could understand, as she had the power of Light and Day. No big surprise there. Except that she took over Australia. I would have thought that she would go with TK…but I guess that she was as guilt ridden as the rest of us. 

Izzy…the ingenious one, had been destined to live in a world of Shadows. Whenever a shadow is cast upon the ground, I know that it is Izzy, sending forth the shadows, over riding Kari's Light, yet not quite giving into TK's darkness, as he watched on from his perch in the Middle East.

And Joe. The scaredy cat now had the power of Earth. Of the trees, and the ground, as he controlled from his home of Africa.

But the powers aren't as simple as that.

You see, we are all needed. If one of us should give up and quit, the whole Earth would be in chaos.

Because we each weigh each other out. For each of us, there is at least one person to keep the other from doing whatever he or she wants. From going crazy.

If I should go overboard with the power of Fire, Matt has the power of Water to quench the flames.

Whereas should Matt try to use his power too much, the Earth, under control of Joe, should drain it into the ground.

Where upon Sora could dislodge the grains of dirt and sand, blow away anything and everything. 

TK, Kari, and Izzy, of course, were all intertwined, Izzy keeping the balance between the other two. 

And Tai could use his power of illusion to confuse any or all of us.

So we were all needed. Should something happen to one, then there would always be another of us that would be able to exercise his or her powers to full extent.

It's all kind of confusing, I know. But it's the way it is. The way it would always be.

With a sigh, I leaned back onto my ivory-carved throne, drumming my fingers upon the armrests in boredom.

What I wouldn't have given for someone…other than the other seven…to talk to.

With a sigh, I pointed my finger forward, forcing brilliant flames of fire to life. With nothing else to do but watch the flames dance and twirl, I leaned forward, placing my chin in my hands. With another wave of my hand, the fire twisted together, until in human shape.

A human made of fire. Skin, hair, clothing all made of flame. 

It turned to me, and, on it's own will, smiled. No. A twirl of my fingers and it was gone.

What had happened? I hadn't planned that. I hadn't expected for my creation to smile. 

What was so bad about it smiling?

I hadn't told it too, that's what! Fire didn't have a will of it's own…did it? In the last thousand years, my power had never done that.

Something was wrong. Something was wrong with the balance…only upsetting the balance could make our powers take on a will of their own.

The balance had never been broken.

And never had a human of flame turned to me and smiled Matt's smile.

And then, suddenly, so suddenly, in fact, that I almost fell from my perch, water was gushing into my throne room…gushing in all around…

And then it stopped. And the water laying in pools on my floor gathered together, twisted around and around, and assumed a human shape.

Matt's shape, to be exact.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, my voice harsh. "Go back to Antarctica! I don't want to see you!"

"For your information, its called Matticta. Made from my name of course."

His voice…oh, God, it was Matt's voice…the voice I hadn't heard for so long…

"Leave! This is my land! I don't want you here!"

It hurt me…oh, how it hurt me…to say such words to him. I still loved him…even though I couldn't stand to be around him. Being around him reminded me of how the human race had died out.

He glared at me harshly, and it broke my heart. "I'm not here why because I want to be, alright?"

That hurt even more. Without a though, I lunged to my feet, bringing my hands up in front of me, touching my thumbs and pointer fingers together to form a triangle.

I once again forced the flames alive. And pushed outwards. 

I watched as the fire rushed towards him. Matt. "Then leave! If you don't want to be here, go back to you precious Matticta! Leave me alone!"

Matt just smiled coldly, holding up one hand and allowing water to run forward.

As the two forces…fire and water met, sparks erupted.

No. That wasn't supposed to happen either! I ducked, covering my head with my arms, trying to ward away the sparks.

And suddenly felt Matt lunge at me, pushing me to the ground.

"HEY!" I screeched. "Don't touch me!"

He glared at me. "For your information, I was trying to save you from getting hurt." His voice was as hard and cold as his glare.

I looked up and watched as a large ball of Fire and Water hit the place where I had stood just seconds before.

No. It was impossible.

The two forces…Fire and Water…had woven together…on their own will! Had woven together to attack! To attack _us…_their controllers.

I looked at Matt with frightened eyes, and the harshness in his melted slightly. He felt the same fear as I did.

"The balance…"

He nodded. "That's why I came." His voice was hard, again. "My power was going all awry, and I thought that maybe you were doing something to it."

I shook my head. "No. I wasn't. And that means…that means…" I couldn't finish.

"That the balance is off. Yes."

I was scarred right down to the core. The balance was off…

Do you know what happens if the balance is off? The world could be torn apart, into millions of tiny, tiny pieces! The Earth could break apart.

I looked at Matt, whom I had loved so long ago. Whom I still did love. I didn't want to be around him as much as he didn't want to be around me. Too many painful memories.

But the Digidestined would have to combine forces. Or else watch what was left of the Earth be torn apart. 

To be continued…

Yes. Veeeeery confusing. Questions? Comments? Flames? Please review!

Gatomon_1, Queen of Kekari, Angel of Eternity


	3. Eternity and a Day: Part 2

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*Eternity and a Day—Part 2*~ 

~*Tai's point of View*~

The illusion was perfect. Complete. Absolute, if you will.

Perfect.

I sat back with a sigh of sadness to watch it unfold before me.

It was of our last days as normal human beings.

Alright. So now you're confused. Let me lay it out for you.

I'm the ruler of Illusion. I control it. Illusion, I mean. What does that mean? It means that I can image anything I want…_anything…_and make it become a reality.

Not a _real_ reality…a false reality. Like, what I imagine won't ever come true. But I can create it, and transport myself into it. I can act differently, and see how different actions would have affected the future.

A powerful power. I often create that false reality…those last few days as normal people…and live them out, relishing in the simplicity of it all.

I use different choices, in my false realities. Like, all those years ago, when I proposed that we take to the forest. You know…after _they_ found out who we were. Instead, I could watch the events unfold in different ways. I can see what would have happened if I had demanded that we stay in the city.

It wasn't pretty. So I guess I made the right decision.

South America. The former name for Mezmerisa. Mezmerisa is _my_ land. _My_ name for it

~*Author's Note*~ :: Alright. If you can tell me what Mezmerisa stands for, I'll write you a fic. You have until June 8, midnight. If you think you know, E-MAIL ME, don't put it into a review. I don't want to ruin it for anyone else. ^_~ so the first person to get it right gets ANY KIND of fic they want. Keia…I hate to say it…but you're disqualified. ^^ Seeing as how I told you. I'm working on your fic now. ^^ ~*End Author's Note*~

Yes, it has a special meaning. But I'm not going to tell you. It doesn't really matter.

With a sigh, I started to step out of my fake reality. It was no use. No matter how many times I imagined it, it never came true.

But I never got the change to step out of it. _It_ stepped out of _me,_ in a way.

Because it was then that the illusion shattered.

~*Izzy's point of View*~

With a sigh, I continued to pace back and forth atop the highest hill in Shaputer. Which is my name for the Middle East. How did I come up with that? Take the first three letters of "Shadow," which is the element that I control, and the last five letters of "computer," and there you have it. Shaputer.

Fortunately, my laptop was one of the few things that I still had to occupy my time. Don't ask how it ran without batteries. When you control a power like mine, you can do almost _anything._ Without it, I would be bored to death. Literally. And if I were to die, even though impossible, it would be hell that I would be going to, _not_ heaven. After all the things that I've done…heaven would be absolutely out of the question. 

My job, as you may or may not know, is to keep the balance between night and day. Dark and light. TK and Kari. I control all of the shadowing in the world. I must be careful not to let darkness descend upon the world, yet not let light rule. 

Of course, if, say, Kari were to disappear, darkness would descend. Or if TK were to disappear, light would forever rule. And if _I_ disappeared, there would forever be battle between the two.

It was like that with all of us, of course. The Balance. As you may or may not know about.

And it was then that it began to happen.

The whole world was…distorted. Light and darkness merged together, with shadow caught in between. 

It was the weirdest, strangest, most frightening sight that I had ever laid eyes upon. 

Weird, because light and darkness were merging together into one thing, only to separate again, and draw to different sides of the world. 

Strange, because the two elements swirled together into a fantastical dance of blinding light and the darkest of black, swirling and twirling each other in different directions. Only to separate once again.

And frightening because it was impossible.

Light and dark, though closely connected, were two different elements! Of two different origins, almost! It was impossible. Plain and simple. Kari, holder of Light, and TK, ruler of Darkness, should know better then to let the two merge…it would create chaos!

And I, the one to keep order between the two, couldn't stop it. I focused all of my power…Shadow…towards the battle of light and dark. But it wouldn't stop!

The only way…the only way was the balance!

What the _hell_ were TK and Kari doing, upsetting the balance? I would certainly have a word with them!

Preparing myself to transport to TK's lair, so that I could give him hell about the balance, it came as a surprise…a complete surprise…when he appeared before me.

He just…materialized. One moment, in the darkest corner, was just darkness. The next moment, there was TK.

With confident strides, he glided towards me. "What are you doing?" he demanded in an angry voice. "Why are you upsetting the balance!?"

This surprised me even more. "_Me? ME?_ _I'm_ upsetting the balance! Like hell! _You're_ upsetting the balance! You're trying to take over the light, aren't you? Trying to make darkness descend upon all the world!"

He glared at me, barely suppressed hatred showing clearly in his eyes. "I wouldn't do that!" He spat. "I wouldn't use my powers to upset the balance!"

And it began to dawn upon me. Each of us had someone we were connected to. And I was connected to TK and Kari. The three of us all needed each other for the balance. And if TK wasn't upsetting the balance, and I wasn't upsetting the balance…then that must mean…

TK caught on about the same time that I did. "Kari…" he breathed.

And it was then that darkness descended upon the whole world.

Okay, so that was kind of short. But the next part _will_ be longer! I swear! ^_~ And PLEASE review!

Gatomon_1


	4. Eternity and a Day: Part 3

Okay, I have been asked a MILLION times about my other fics

Okay, I have been asked a MILLION times about my other fics. I WILL be finishing "Once upon a Digi-tale," "The sound of a Heartbeat," and even "It wasn't me," eventually. And as for all the other fics I've promised people…Maggie, your Mimato's and Takari's are ALMOST done…and I swear I'll finish your Takari's, too, Lys…and Keia, as for that fic I promised you…just give me a little while longer! I'm so sorry, I'm just at the BIGGEST writer's block EVER!

And one more thing…No one has gotten the whole thing around the word "Mezmerisa." I'll still accept entries up to the time when I submit the next part. All those people that I've told it to are disqualified. Please, DO NOT put it into the review! Just e-mail me, and if you get it right, I'll write you any kind of fic!

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*Eternity and a Day: Part 3*~ 

~*Kari's point of View*~

With a cry of pain, I clasped my head in my hands, as if trying to force the images out of my mind.

Why wouldn't they go away? Why must they torment me? WHY?

Falling to my knees, I leaned forward, pressing my forehead against the cool ground.

In an attempt to try to force away the pain, I looked upwards, and stretched my arms forward, palms out, fingers spread. Forcing my power out through those hands, I felt as waves of light washed over me.

But they did nothing. Collapsing onto the ground, I finally gave into the pain. The images.

It was all my fault. All my fault that everyone was dead! I don't know why…but I could just feel it!

But there was one memory that came back to haunt me time and time again.

~*Flashback*~

We had just found out a few days ago. We had just found out that we, the Digidestined, were the most feared and hated beings on the Earth. 

Why? Because we could live forever. And because of that, we were feared to be…well, mutants.

Trying not to cry at the betrayal of my kind, I clasped more tightly at TK's hand, as he pulled me forward, following Tai and the others deep into the woods.

Matt and Mimi were…somewhere. They were back _there._ Back there with that man…

The others had just gone through with Mimi's plan to rescue me.

~*Author's Note:: Alright, this flashback is kind of back in the Epilogue of 'Once upon Forever,' where Kari was taken, and Mimi came up with the plan, and then Matt and Mimi stayed behind because Matt wanted to fight that man.:: *~

And now, we had to escape. We had to escape…somewhere. Get away. We all had to separate. I would go with TK. Where, I didn't know. Just somewhere.

But as we veered to the left, slipping into the forest, a familiar voice called out to me.

Turning slightly, I saw Daisuke Motimiya just standing there, watching us go.

I didn't know it then, but the words that he would say to me would haunt me for eternity and a day.

"Kari!" he called after me, his eyes big with pain and hurt. "Kari, how could you do this to me? I loved you!"

I stood there, stricken, until TK once again reached for my hand and pulled me after him into what seemed to be oblivion.

~*End of Flashback*~

His words were still with me. Just the way he said them…as if he blamed me for it all…blamed me for leaving him there…

Just the way he said it made me think that it was all my fault. I couldn't help it!

Looking up, and opening my eyes, I almost expected to see my old home. I guess that I just wished I could go back…_way back…_in time.

But that was impossible.

As I took in my surroundings and wished for an escape, I realized what I must have known for…well, forever.

There was no escape for me. Just eternity…and a day.

~*Normal Point of View*~

And somewhere, far away, and yet so close at the same time…somewhere, a being from the past could feel the pain of one girl who blamed it all on herself.

A sad smile crossed the being's face…an unnatural being, and yet, at the same time, natural, as it had not been made by nature, yet was nothing man made.

And with a shake of it's head, it spread it's wings and flew onwards, wanting to escape it's memories just as much as that one lone girl wanted to.

Or maybe, just maybe, it wanted to forget even more badly than she.

To be continued…

Alright. So the ending does NOT make sense…but it will! I swear! *re-reads the fic* omg, that was WAY too short! But I just can't seem to write at the moment…the next part will be MUCH Longer…PLEASE review!

Kara


	5. When love goes Blind part 1

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

Alright. I had, like 12 entries into my contest…and one person got it right. And the funny part is…she wasn't even trying. But Lys didn't want me to write a fic _for_ her…she wanted me to write a fic _with_ her…why, I don't know, but I'm more than honored! (Lys, ADMIT IT! YOU ARE A *MUCH* BETTER AUTHOR THEN ME!!!!!!!!!) So, keep an eye out for our co-written fic, "Reality in Advance."

And now, onto the next part! ^.~

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*When love goes Blind: part 1*~

~*Sora's point of View*~

Oh, God, how I loved being with them all again…and yet, at the same time, despised it more then anything.

On one hand, there was nothing I'd rather do more. But on the other, I'd rather go to hell and back. Twice.

I was almost certain that the others felt the same way. Cross off the 'almost.'

Possibly the most painful to see out of all of them, was Tai. Tai, whom I was still in love with. And yet, at the same time, I couldn't stand the sight of him.

"So you mean to tell me that my little sister is upsetting the balance!?" Tai raged, looking ready to kill anyone who so much as moved.

His voice shattered the silence, yanking me unmercifully back into reality. 

"Looks like your deaf. That's what he said!" the voice was that of Matt.

Inwardly, I cringed. I could almost sense what would happen next.

With a cry of outrage, Tai leapt at his former best friend, closing his hands around Matt's neck in a death grip.

Matt just stared at him. "Trying to kill me?" he taunted. "I dare you to try!" with a harsh laugh, a stream of water shot out of nowhere, hitting Tai square in the face. I almost couldn't help but laugh at the site of my former boy friend sputtering like a landed fish.

I cast a glance around the circle of Digidestined…we all stood several feet apart, as if physical contact with anyone would set our skin on fire. Well…that's what Mimi would most likely do. The others, I'm sure, would have other ways of dealing with stuff.

"Look, Tai," Mimi began, boredom lacing her words. "If you're going to have an attitude, then go back to South America!" her words, which had started out in a bored tone, rose in anger near the end of the sentence.

He glared at her, looking ready to murder her at the mention of the former name of his land. "Mezmerisa," he shot at her.

As he said that one word, he cast a glance at me, the corners of his lips turning upwards in a mirthless smirk.

~*Flashback*~ 

"Ricardo!" I moaned, using his alias. "I _told_ you it was hot! This happens _every time_ we come here! Which just so happens to be _every day!_ You _never_ listen to me!"

"That's the point!" he argued, reaching for another forkful of hot pasta. "And besides…I was so mez…mess…mes…you know what I mean…by your beauty to listen!"

I sighed. "You mean 'mesmerized'?" 

"Yes! That's it!"

By now, the whole restaurant was staring.

"Come on! You know you love me…"

I groaned. _How did I _ever_ fall in love with him?_ But looking at him, I knew the answer…

~*End of Flashback*~

~*Flashback*~

We had changed, of course. That was the whole point of moving to Italy. I was now called Isabella Soccerball. And you know what was really horrible? Tai called me Isa. Isa Soccerball. Damn Tai! I should never have let him name us! 

Isabella. Such a big leap from Sora…

~*End of Flashback*~

'Mezmerisa.' 'Mezmerised.' Tai's way of saying "Mesmerized." And 'Isa.' Short for 'Isabella.'

Mezmerisa.

At the thought of that gesture of love, I wanted to reach out to him. Oh, how I wanted to reach out and hold him…so badly that I almost did. 

And he knew it. I could see it in his eyes. He knew how much I still loved him. And, in a way, I knew that he still loved me, too.

But still, I retained my distance.

But how had he turned so…cold? His eyes were harsh, and he just seemed so…uncaring!

But then I guess we _all_ had turned cold. I guess we _all_ seemed uncaring to one another, and just didn't notice it about ourselves. .

Izzy looked up and glared around the circle. "I can't seem to pinpoint her location. And without knowing where she is, we can't stop her."

Izzy, always worried about the technical details.

"So what? We just watch and let her rip apart the Earth? There'll be a way."

I was shocked. The voice was that of TK…why, he had become the image of Matt. The harsh voice…the cold pools of blue that sufficed as eyes…they were so alike now. And yet, the younger boy still held that aura of hope, even though it now held a harshness of it's own.

"Before we do anything, it has to be safe. You may want to risk your lives, but I sure don't."

Joe, always the scaredy cat, even now, millions…no, _billions…_of years after the death of mankind.

Mimi looked up. For the whole conversation, she had kept her gaze looking downwards. Now, as she spoke, she lifted her head high. "It's almost certain that she'll find us. Eventually. We could just wait. Though it _would_ be quicker to start a search."

Mimi, still easily finding the truth.

No, they hadn't changed all that much. Even with the shell of harshness, and coldness, and nonchalance around us…we hadn't changed. Oh, there were the subtle differences. But other than that…

Oh, how good it was to see them all again…

And yet, at the same time, I still despised them more than anything. Like I said…to hell and back. Twice.

~*Mimi's point of View*~ 

With a sigh, I raised one hand to touch my pounding head, before looking back to the place where Tai and Matt still threw attacks at each other.

Where had the planning gone so wrong? We had all been peacefully…even though scowlingly…planning what to do. We had to restore the balance…and that meant finding Kari.

Except, of course, Matt and Tai couldn't agree on anything. In a fit of rage, Matt had tried to freeze Tai into an ice statue.

It would have been funny to see, I'll admit that…

"Where they _always_ this stubborn?" 

Sora shrugged. "You know they were."

The sound of her voice brought to my attention that I had spoken aloud. "I…I…had forgotten," I mumbled.

Sora just shrugged again.

Since when had she become so…uncaring? She had always been the kind one, the one who cared for everyone, the one who took care of everyone!

With a shake of my head, I watched as Tai seemed to disappear from sight. We all knew, of course, that he was just using an illusion. 

They were wasting our time! And it was making me _mad!_

I didn't realize until I heard Joe's gasp, that small tongues of flame were igniting from my body. As I watching in silence, they curled from my pale skin, shooting outwards, heating up the surrounding air.

I was scared. With fear in my eyes, I looked up. 

Only to see the impossible.

Sora was trying to stand her ground, looking as if something was trying to blow her away.

Joe was dodging bits and piece of dislodged Earth.

TK was surrounded by his own personal darkness, while a brilliant display of shadows danced across Izzy's features.

Sparkling crystalline structures began forming up Matt's left arm, while Tai was flickering in and out of reality.

It was impossible! Just like when my creation of fire turned and smiled.

Our powers were taking on a will of their own.

We were loosing control.

And all because Kari was overridden with guilt.

~*Normal point of View*~

The being watched them with sad eyes. Would it ever end for them? Or would it go on forever? And it it never ended for them, then it would never end for him, either.

He could see the fear written plainly on their faces as their own powers began to work against them. And all because of one girl's guilt.

Or rather…because of the guilt of _all_ of them. How he wished to rid them of that guilt…

And he knew just how he would have to do it. But first, all eight of them needed to be together.

To be continued…

*dramatic pause* will the Digidestined be able to get their powers under control? Will Kari be found? And just _who_ is this mysterious creature? Stay tuned and find out in the next part! ^.~ lol…um…PLEASE review! I really need to know what you guys think!

Gatomon_1


	6. When love goes Blind part 2

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*When love goes Blind: part 2*~

~*Tai's point of View*~

The way that our powers were acting was…unbelievable. Yet, awesome, in a way. But impossible just the same.

I could feel my eyes wandering around the group, and felt them come to rest on one person…Mimi. With the flames of fire dancing around her form she looked…beyond beautiful.

I felt a small twinge of guilt at this…after all, wasn't it Sora that I was supposed to love? And yet, as I stared at Mimi, I almost felt that I was…well, meant to be with her. And, as she looked up and her eyes met mine, I was almost certain that she felt the same.

~*Joe's point of View*~

"All right! I want to know just what the hell is going on!" Tai screamed, smashing one fist into his other hand. He was still flickering in and out of reality.

We were all still trying to dodge our own powers.

I must admit…over the last few million years, I guess I've kind of toughened up. But I'm still good old, scaredy cat Joe.

Yet, all that fear was protected by hatred. Hatred for the others.

And then, it all just stopped. Everything. All the attacks. Pieces of Earth just hung, suspended in the air. Shining droplets of water turned to ice and seemed to just sit on the air. Tongues of flame had hardened into solidity. Half of us stood in the middle of a shining night, while the other half stood in complete darkness. Shadows plagued the part of Earth suspended in light. The wind had stopped, leaving visible wind streaks in the air…you know, kind of like on all those cartoons, where the characters are running so fast that you can see the wind.

But the weirdest part came from Tai's power. Half the world seemed to have disappeared…even though I knew that it was just an illusion.

And then, out of nowhere, a single, charred scrap of paper drifted down and landed right beside Tai's feet. We all just stared at it.

A small breeze picked up…not anything like the wind that was Sora's power…in fact, it wasn't exactly a breeze. I guess it just kinda felt like it.

Instead…it was like some unseen power. Something…

But anyway, the scrap slowly drifted upwards, until coming to a stop, hovering just above Tai's hand.

Something…or someone…obviously wanted him to read it.

And so he did. And because of that, one of the worst phases of my life unraveled. Hey, just another reason to hate Tai!

Carefully clearing his throat, he began to read.

"The world will break apart unless,

The unfaithful ones do pass the test,

The two that are confused at heart,

On a journey will depart.

Ice will melt, and flow away,

While the wind will blow astray.

Light will fade, and cower at sight,

Of the darkness cast into night.

Shadow, unable to balance out,

While Earth, cast into unexcelled drought.

And the world will be torn apart,

And the chaos will never depart."

"It…it sounds like…a prophecy," TK announced.

"That's what it is, dimwit!" was Tai's response. I could see the anger flare in Matt's eyes, and he looked ready to defend his brother. But TK was more than capable of caring for himself, especially now.

Yet, even so, former bonds were revealing themselves…old loyalties were resurfacing…

And yet, what did the prophecy mean? 'The world will break apart?' The 'two unfaithful ones?'

We all found out exactly what it meant just seconds later.

~*TK's point of View*~

"AH!" the pain was…the pain was…indescribable! It seeped its way into my head, and then seemed to expand! All around me, I could hear the cries of the others.

But I didn't really care about them at the moment. All I could feel was the PAIN!

Have someone hit you in the head with a sledgehammer. Then drop a few tons of cement blocks from about 3 miles up. And there you have it. One hundredth of the amount of pain that I felt.

And then…time stopped. And suddenly, I wasn't standing there, with my former friends. No. Instead, I was suspended in nothingness. 

There was darkness all around. But the strangest sensation was this. I couldn't see anything in the space in which I was held. But it was like I was encased in…a bubble, or something. And I could, as clear as day, see all that was happening outside of my little bubble of darkness.

The prophecy… 'Of the darkness cast into night.' That was me.

I could see the others. Matt was suspended in a bubble of water, yet seemed able to breathe. 'The ice will melt and flow away…'

Sora was…well, it was hard to explain. I couldn't exactly say that she was suspended in…wind. That would sound too…strange. Yet, she wasn't just surrounded by still air. Well…to make it less confusing, we'll just say that she was suspended in wind. 'While the wind will blow astray…'

Kari was nowhere to be seen, and at that, my heart ached…just slightly. And yet…somehow, an image appeared in my mind. An image of Kari, stranded somewhere, in the middle of a scorching desert, kneeling over in pain, hands clutching at her head. 'Light will fade and cower at sight…'

Izzy, too, was suspended in some sort of bubble. A bubble filled with shadows. It looked…strange. 'Shadow, unable to balance out…'

And Joe, he was surrounded, in his own little world, by sand. Desert sand. 'While Earth cast into unexcelled drought.' 

It completely proved the prophecy.

Well…not completely. Tai and Mimi still stood exactly where they had before, confused expressions on their faces.

And then it became clear. 

'The world will break apart unless,

The unfaithful ones do pass the test,

The two that are confused at heart,

On a journey will depart.'

Tai and Mimi were the 'unfaithful ones.' And what did that mean?

'The two that are confused at heart.'

And then, I recalled the glances that Mimi and Tai had been stealing at each other, and I felt my blood broil. That bitch that called herself Mimi! She was cheating on my brother wasn't she? And even though I still felt a certain amount of hate towards my 'dear' brother, he was still family! And I still felt loyalty towards him. And Tai…calling him Matt's best friend!

And Kari…what of her? She, like Tai and Mimi, wasn't suspended, like the rest of us.

Maybe it had something to do with her being the one to upset the balance.

~*Normal point of View*~

The creature smiled and shook his head sadly. It was not as it would have wanted it to go, but it was how it had to be. If the creature wanted to be able to work everything out…free them…her…of their…her…guilt, then it had to happen like this. It was the only way to make them see…

The creature shrugged it's shoulders, and once again unfolded it's wings, taking to the sky, it's dark skin gleaming in the bright sunlight, it's shadowed face of nothingness bearing a hopeful expression.

To be continued…

Okay. Confusing. But…well, you won't get to read anymore for a while. I'm going away for the rest of the summer, to visit with family, and won't have any access to the internet, so, I'll be back August 29th, or so, and the next part will be out sometime around then, k?

Anyway, I hope that you guys all liked this! Please review!

Gatomon_1


	7. When love goes Blind part 3

~*Mimi's point of View*~

I know…you guys asked for a really long part, but I needed to end this part off with a SEMI-decent ending…but, I swear, the next part will be VERY long.

Anyway, in case you can't tell…I'm back early! ^.~ *dances* Yeah…so, here's the next part…

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*When love goes blind, part 3*~

~*Izzy's point of View*~

Izzy reporting to you, live from the bubble of Shadow!

Sorry. In case you can't tell, it's boring as hell in here. There was nothing to do…if only my laptop…

HEY! MY LAPTOP! Hah ha! I always knew I was brilliant!

My laptop was were it always was…right beside me! Without hesitating, I reached for it, eagerly turning it on. Now…what to play…I could always play solitaire…and there was always hearts…hey! Backgammon! Yes! In case you don't know, I have now become the official King of Backgammon!

Um…yes. I _told_ you it was boring!

But, better yet…with my laptop, I could try to set up a way to contact the others! Not that I felt like speaking to them, but at least we could try to figure out what was going on.

I really _was_ brilliant!

~*Mimi's point of View*~

"Sarah, don't die! Please, don't you die, too!" why had I even come? Why had I come to see my sister die? That was easy. I had felt the need to see her…one more time. So I had left Europe and stolen away in the dark of the night. She looked so different…so…old.

"Sarah, I'm sorry!"

"Why?" Even the one word seemed to take away so much of her strength.

I was crying, by now. "I don't know! I just am."

I looked up at her, hoping against hope, wishing with all I had, that she would be the same as when I had left, all those years ago.

But she didn't. In fact…the face that I saw wasn't even Sarah's. It was the face of…Daisuke Motimiya…a face from so long ago.

All I could do was stare.

"Kari is so guild-ridden, Mimi. Please…please help her…please, Mimi…for me…"

I turned away, tears still streaking my face, unable to look at him any longer…

…Only to face someone…or rather, _something…_that I had never seen, before.

A pure black face and yellow eyes stared back at me.

"Listen to him, Mimi. Listen to the boy," it said in an un-familiar voice. "You Digidestined must work together."

And then, I ran. I ran, and ran, and ran. I don't know why, but I just wanted to get away from them…

"Mimi, are you okay?" A familiar voice, finally! A familiar face, at last. I ran towards Tai.

"Mimi, I thought that you loved me!" Matt's voice told a story of anger and hurt.

"Listen to him, Mimi…the boy is right…" The creature had followed me! Would I never get away?

"Mimi…" Tai; questioning.

"Mimi…" Matt; hurt.

"Mimi…" the creature; condescending. 

~*~

~*Tai's point of View*~

"Mimi! Mimi, wake up!" 

Her eyes flew open, and her arms raised as if to protect herself.

To me, she had never looked more beautiful, with wide eyes and tangled hair, her face pale, and her chest heaving with every breath she took.

Her eyes darted back and forth, as if she were looking for something. Maybe she was searching for the others.

But the others weren't here. They were…somewhere. Only Mimi and I had been left behind. And we had been termed the 'Unfaithful,' ones.

I guess it was true enough. I _did_ feel something for Mimi, even though I knew that it was Sora that I was supposed to love.

But Mimi just looked so damn beautiful…she looked so scared, too, and, for a moment, I let my guard down and enveloped her in my arms.

"Oh, Tai! It was terrible! The images…the faces. The creature…"

"What creature?" I demanded, burying my face in her hair.

"It…it said something about Kari…"

"What about Kari?" my voice sounded hard, even to my own ears.

"That…that she was guilt-ridden…and that 'we Digidestined,' had to work together."

"Yes. You _do _have to work together," a new voice confirmed. The holder of the voice stepped forward. All I could see of him was blackness…with large, yellow eyes.

"You were in my dream! Get away from me!" Mimi blurted.

I help up one hand. "Wait a minute. Why do we have to work together? And who says that we _will_ work together?"

"So that you can free the others. And, in answer to you're second question, if you don't, the Earth will be torn apart."

"Where _are_ the others?" I asked, ignoring his second answer. I did _not_ want to work with the others! Well…except for maybe Mimi…

"They are safe," he…if it _was_ a he…said. 

"Well, thanks for the good news," I said sarcastically. 

Then, he smiled. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I wrote the prophecy, billions of years ago."

Mimi's head snapped upwards. "Then tell me this," she challenged. "What 'journey,' do we have to go on, and what 'test,' do we have to pass?"

"The journey is this. The crests have been re-created. You must find them. Every time you find one, it's holder will be restored to you."

And then, he was gone.

"Great. Just great. _More_ 'wonderful' news," I heard Mimi complain.

My eyes were drawn to her lips, as I watched them form her words. I was almost fascinated by those lips…gentle, soft, curving…

"Shhhh," I could hear myself whisper, pulling her close and laying one finger against her lips. I carefully let my lips travel along the curve of her cheek bone, then down the side of her face, before finally kissing her full, lush lips.

~*Mimi's point of View*~

And all I could feel were Tai's lips upon mine; searching and demanding in turn, as his hands roamed from my face, to my waist, to my back.

All I could hear were his mostly incoherent murmurs, although some of them translated into my name.

The only thing I could see was blackness, even though in my mind, I could see Tai's every movement.

All I could smell was his cologne. (How he got cologne this long after the end of the world, I don't know, but that's beside the point.)

All I could taste were his lips and skin.

And I spun into oblivion. But, even in that oblivion, I could see Matt's hurt, disappointed face.

~*Normal point of View*~

It put it's face into it's hands. Sure, he had written the prophecy, but it was still hard to watch. It was wrong. The fate of the balance…and therefore, the world…depended on five things, and five things only.

One: That the eight holders of power would NEVER use their powers to full extent.

Two: That Courage and Love would always remain true.

Three: That Sincerity and Friendship would forever be in love.

Four: That Light and (unfortunate, but true) Hope would never stray apart.

And Five: That Knowledge and Reliability would forever live in solitary, never to love.

Number Five wasn't a problem, so far. In fact, it was the only one out of the five rules that had not, as of yet, been broken.

~*Matt's point of View*~

Watching them was…indescribable. 'A knife through the heart,' just _didn't_ cut it.

Just because they couldn't see us, didn't mean that we couldn't seem them! And I couldn't turn around. It was impossible, in my little bubble of water. It was like…like I was anchored, being forced to look at them.

And I just couldn't seem to close my eyes. In a way, I almost enjoyed the pain. It was kind of a relief to see that I was still capable of feeling _something_.

But that didn't mean that I wouldn't kill Tai if I could get my hands around his throat long enough to strangle him! How could he do this to me? He was my best friend. Ex-best friend, of course. Had been…well, forever.

And Mimi! How could _she_ do this to me? All those years alone in Matticta, I was kept alive by the fact that I knew, that, in some little way, she still loved me.

And the fact that I still loved her. Not that I would have ever shown it, now. Not when we had grown so far apart.

Yet, the question remained unanswered. Why didn't she love me anymore?

To be continued…

Okay, so that seemed a bit…quick, almost like I wrote it to fast…but it was really all I could think of…please review…

Gatomon_1


	8. Don't Blame it on me part 1

~*All that's left are Whispers*~ 

Ah ha! It's a long part, it's a long part! ^-^ I did it Keia, I did it! I wrote a long part! See? I can write long parts when I want to!!!!

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*Don't blame it on Me: Part 1*~ 

~*Mimi's point of View*~

"Are we there yet, Tai? I'm so tired…"

He looked up, his expression sympathetic. "Almost. According to the Digivice, we should be there soon." He smiled.

A couple nights before, the night that the…_creature_ had appeared…Tai and I had fallen asleep. Upon awakening, we had found a Digivice lying near us. Obviously, it was to aid us in our search for the crests.

"Which one is it again?"

"The Crest of Reliability, Mimi. Joe's crest."

"What were we supposed to do again, Tai?"

"We don't know yet, Mimi," he replied patiently. "I guess maybe we'll know when we find the crest."

"Oh…okay…when we find the crest…"

My voice sounded sleepy to my ears…most likely because I _felt_ sleepy. I just wanted to go to sleep…sleep…nice, warm pillows, and my nice, warm pink duvet…soft, feather filled mattress, with my alarm clock to wake me up for school the next morning…

I shook my head. No. That was millions of years ago. I had to get a hold on my memories…yeah, that was it…keep the memories from surging forth and I'd be just fine…

"Mimi!" with one quick motion, he caught me before I hit the ground. Turning me over so that he could look into my face, he helped me sit down, letting me lean back against one knee.

"I'm sorry," I could hear myself murmur. "I'm so tired, Tai…"

That was the last thing I remembered.

~~~*~~~

~*Tai's point of View*~ 

In the end, Mimi's passing out was for the best. Coincidences like that don't happen all that much.

After making sure that she was alright, comfortable, and warm, I began to walk around, exploring our new surroundings.

We were about half way up a rather large mountain, camped out on one of many ledges. It was a really big ledge. It seemed to go all the way around the mountain, and was really wide, too.

Anyway, there were lots of caves and crevices, and I figured that I'd better check some of them out…we couldn't die, but we could hurt. I tried to keep Mimi in my sight the whole time, which wasn't exactly easy. I didn't want anything to happen to her…

She was the first person I had ever loved since that long ago day when Sora and I parted ways…oh, sure, for a long while…as in forever…I still loved her. But when we all met up again, she seemed to have totally forgotten all about me…and it hurt. I admit it. 

I guess I've been trying to act as if I'm immune to everything…but I'm seriously not. That's just my defense…I can't help it if what I say is mean and all.

Besides…it _is_ kind of nice playing the part…after all, I still _do_ hate them…I hate them because it's my fault. Stupid, I know. But it's the truth.

So when Sora seemed not to care, it was almost as if a blindfold had been removed from my eyes…and I saw Mimi.

I guess you know what happened from there.

Now, where was I before I started spilling my thoughts like that…? Oh, yeah. I was looking around.

I entered yet another small cave. And nearly fell over.

Carved onto the back wall, was the sign of Reliability. It was Joe's sign.

Did that mean that his crest was nearby? If so, how could I get to it? I seriously didn't want to see him again, but the thought of the Earth being ripped apart wasn't exactly fun…besides, the sooner this was over, the sooner I could return home. With frequent visits to Mimi, of course.

I cautiously approached the sign, as if expecting Joe to jump out at me at any moment.

It was then that I noticed that there was a small hole at the very center of the sign…it looked to be about the size of a crest. Maybe the crest _was_ around here somewhere…maybe I had to find it and place it into the center of the sign.

But where was it? It might be hard to find…the crest of Reliability was gray in color, the same as all the rocks around me.

Then it hit me. _The same as all the rocks around me…_

I walked up to the sign, and, using a corner of my sleeve, I wiped at the inside of the small indent. "Figures. I have to dirty myself to find him." As the dust was wiped away, the crest of Reliability slowly appeared. 

I grinned. Not because Joe would soon be here…that thought took my grin _away…_but because I had figured it out…without the help of Izzy and his computer.

Now…how to activate it…

Cautiously, I touched the crest. It shone, enveloping the room in a brilliant gray light. I squinted, silently cursing Joe and his stupid crest.

"Tai? What are you doing?" It was Mimi. "What's that light?" She must have woken up while I was trying to find Joe's crest.

Then she saw the sign. "Joe's crest?" covering her eyes, she moved towards me, and gently touched the crest. The light turned off, and nothing happened.

We both looked at each other. And nearly jumped out of our skins when we heard the voice.

"Oh, thank whatever Gods there are!" Joe cried as he sank to his knees in front of them. "I'm allergic to bubbles filled with sand!"

Mimi raised an eyebrow, amused, and turned to me. "You'd think that Africa would have changed him!"

Joe glared at her.

I shrugged. "Well, Mimi, some things never change." I glanced at Joe. "Besides, Kido, we Digidestined _are_ the Gods."

"My God, Tai, you've become a conceited jerk!"

"So glad you noticed."

Mimi held up one hand. "No fighting." She tossed the crest of Reliability to Joe, and turned back to Tai. "Who's next?"

Tai consulted the Digivice, then raised his eyes to meet Mimi's. 

"Matt."

Joe coughed.

~~~*~~~

~*Mimi's point of View*~ 

"Curse his name to hell and back!" I could hear Tai mutter behind me.

I couldn't help but silently agree. I mean…my dress was soaking!

We were looking for Matt's crest, obviously. And just GUESS where we had to look? In 'Matticta.' Great, huh?

When we had found Joe's crest, we had just happened to be in former South Africa. I guess the crests were hidden in our home lands.

And guess what? South America isn't even _remotely_ close to Antarctica! 

Grrrr…

I mean, it wouldn't be so bad if he were actually here…and I can't believe that I actually just said that…but come on. Matt's power is water. Seeing as how we had to cross an ocean, he would be useful. He could, like, part the waters for us, or something like that.

Nope. Right now, we were crossing the damn ocean in a rowboat!

Like I said…grrrr!

Without a word, I gritted my teeth as yet another wave crashed over our heads. Enough with the waves, already!

"Okay," Joe announced. "I've had ENOUGH!"

He raised his hands, and before I knew it, the ocean floor was racing up towards me.

Of course! Joe controlled the power of earth! And while we were in the ocean, even an ocean has a bottom! 

I turned to him. "And why, why, WHY didn't you mention this before? Huh? I mean, if you'd mentioned it BEFORE, then I wouldn't have had to go through this torture!

Tai chuckled quietly. "Oh, Mimi, a little water won't hurt you!"

Yeah, anyway, we were now shipwrecked on the bottom of the ocean, as weird as that sounds.

"Joe, how does this help us? Now we're just stuck, stupid!" Tai exclaimed.

I sighed. "Please. Can you two at least TRY to get along? I don't exactly enjoy listening to you two fight, you know!"

It was then that I noticed something. Something small, and rectangular…something blue…

I jumped from the small boat and hurried towards it, kneeling down beside the small object.

I held it up. The crest of Friendship!

"I found it! You guys, I found Matt's crest!"

I mean, I wasn't happy that I had found _Matt's_ crest…but, yeah, you get the idea. I had actually found it.

"Great." Tai's voice was full of sarcasm. "But how do we get the rest of the way to Antarctica?"

"Um…" Joe's voice was hesitant. "I can NOT believe that I am actually even SUGGESTING this. I mean, I'll plain out die. No, I won't do it. I get airsick, you know. Way air sick. Nope. I am NOT doing this."

Tai and I both glared at Joe.

"Okay, okay! But don't say I didn't warn you!"

Without warning, the Earth shot straight up, like a mountain, climbing, climbing, always climbing…going so fast that it re-defined the word 'fast'.

Joe had his eyes closed, concentrating. And still we went up, until I could almost see the whole world beneath me.

The ground beneath us began to sway, back and forth, back and forth, like a tree. He was making ROCK sway back and forth like a tree! Well…he DID control earth…

And then suddenly, we were flying through the air. Flying, flying…this was beyond flying…it redefined the word 'flying'!

We had climbed so high that we traveled such a great distance, at a speed so fast…still, it took nearly five minutes to get there. Wow…we must have climbed really high!

And then suddenly, the ground was growing nearer…and nearer…and nearer. Within a few moments, I knew, we would crash into the earth.

"Joe! You're going to kill us!"

"No I won't!"

As we neared the ground even more, I could see the snow beneath us twirling together to form a mountain of white…it kept rising towards us, and, without a sound, we landed amid the fluffy white particles.

Joe's 'Mountain of Snow,' then began to gently recede towards the earth, and finally, we were in Antarctica. 

I was gasping for breath by the time we landed. "I didn't know you could do that!" I choked.

"Next time, WARN US!" was Tai's only response.

Joe shrugged. "I did."

And then I noticed something.

There, not ten feet from where we stood, carved into a large sheet of ice, was a large sketch of the crest of Friendship. 

Slowly, I held up the Crest of Friendship, and pushed it into the small hole. Tai touched it, and a blue light spilled forth. I touched it, and the light blinked off. Matt appeared. He looked at Tai. And I swear, there was an evil look in his azure eyes.

~*Matt's point of View*~

I lunged. My hands found their mark, and wound around his neck in a death-like grip. I squeezed…and would have laughed. Except that the image of him and Mimi…

He tried to use his power, and flickered out of sight. But it didn't fool me one little bit…I could still feel his skin under my fingers.

I squeezed harder, listening as he gasped for breath. It was thing I had ever heard.

"Tai!" Mimi's face was pale…she looked so concerned. But I knew that she wasn't concerned about me…it was _him._

"Matt, stop it! Your hurting him!"

"What, like he hurt me?" I spat. I was almost ashamed of myself…I had never acted like this before. Of course, the key word there was 'almost.'

"He never hurt you, Matt!"

I looked at her. "You're right," I agreed. "He killed me."

With that, I threw Tai to the ground with an air of complete disgust.

But I wasn't done with him just yet. Oh, no. He would _suffer._

Before he had a chance to catch his breath, I pointed one finger at him and let the water flow forth. Tai grabbed onto the branch of a nearby tree, and it saved him from being swept away. But that's all it did. With a flick of my wrist, I confined all the water into a small box…a strange sight. It was like there was an invisible box filled with water, yet not a single droplet of that water spilled into the surrounding area.

Anyway…Tai was in that box. The water passed over his head…I could see a water-distorted image of him struggling for breath.

Of course, I knew that I couldn't kill him…but I could hurt him.

"Tai!" Mimi leapt towards me, and I was engulfed in fire.

The pain…I bet you've never felt the full force of fire on your bare skin before. It wasn't pain…it was PAIN. Even that didn't describe it…you would need approximately a 45, 687 point font to even begin to understand the meaning. And now I was starting to sound like Izzy.

If it had just been the flames, it wouldn't have mattered. But the fact that it was Mimi, made it the most painful experience of my life.

~*Sora's point of View*~ 

It's me. Sora. Now known as "The Broken Hearted One."

I still can't believe that he did it. I mean…after the whole "Mezmerisa," incident, I was certain that he still loved me…

But no…he had to fall for Mimi…now known as "The Bitch."

Don't look so surprised…I may still be the same Sora…somewhere deep _deep_ down…but near the surface, I have changed so much…

I turned away, yet could still see his face in all directions. Him and Mimi…er…The Bitch…

It didn't help that I was in some weird bubble filled with wind or whatever. 

Tai and Mimi…Mimi and Tai…

To tell the truth, when I saw Matt attack Tai, it was one of the happiest moments in my life. I guess I was kind of hoping that it would bring him back to his senses…yeah, right. Like it did any help. 

I guess that, all that time, alone and with no one to talk to, I tried to pretend that I didn't love him anymore. Tai, of course. But it was always there, too. And what could I do about it? Nothing…absolutely nothing. 

Or was that true? I could hurt him…right? I could hurt him more than he hurt me…in the same way that he hurt me…right?

But who? I looked around, peering through the other bubbles. They were clearly visible to me.

And then I stopped.

Izzy was looking incredibly good today…

To be continued…

I hope you guys are ready for a VERY long series here…I've just gotten a million ideas for this fic…but first I need to know…if this turns out to have, like, 20 parts…is anyone still going to be reading it? Please review!

Gatomon_1


	9. Don't Blame it on me part 2

Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but here's the next part. I know, it's short, but to make up for it, the other part is going to be VERY, VERY, VERY long. Yes, I know, I say that all the time, but this time I mean it. After all, I've already gotten half of it written, and ALREADY it's longer then almost all of these put together. ^.~ And I swear upon my life that it'll be out within a week. Otherwise you guys can kill me. I promise. ^-^ Oh, and in the next part, there's going to be a surprise twist…

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*Don't Blame it on Me: Part 2*~ 

~*TK's point of View*~

Yup. We're back to me. Good old TK. Damn you, Mimi!

I don't swear. Unless someone makes me mad. I'm not mad. I'm livid.

The…um, let's skip that word…cheated on my brother. And you'd have to be a fool to not be able to see how much Matt loved her.

So let's just say it warmed my heart to see Sora lunge at Mimi, screaming obscenities. Yeah, Sora was free now, too. I'd watched as they found her crest.

Ironic. Mimi had found Matt's crest, only to have him try to kill the one that she now loved. And Tai had found Sora's crest, and the exact same thing happened.

In my opinion, Mimi and Tai were making the biggest mistake of their lives.

So, yeah. Sora was screaming very not-nice words at Mimi, Tai was trying to stop her, Mimi was just yelling back at her, and Matt and Joe were both siding with Sora. I could tell that Mimi and Tai were going to be alone on this matter…I mean, nearly alone…you know, if Izzy and Kari think the way that I think…and that Matt and Sora and Joe think…you get the idea.

So, now…where was I? Oh, yes. Sora was free of her little bubble, and now there was just me and Izzy. And Kari…wherever she was…

I tried to push thoughts of Kari out of my mind and focused on what the others were saying. It was strange how I could hear them…I don't know how it was possible, but it was.

As I looked around, and listened, it came to my attention that Matt, Sora, and Joe were all standing together, thoughtful expressions, mixed with delight, on their faces. They kept throwing glances at Mimi and Tai, who were standing just a little ways away. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but the way that they kept looking at Mimi and Tai…

A smile spread over Joe's face, and he discreetly lifted up one hand. He had to be using his powers, because suddenly, I felt…no, that wasn't right…more like _heard_…the ground shaking beneath everyone's feet. As I watched, the ground right beneath Tai's feet suddenly erupted upwards, little bits of dirt and stone spraying through the air, as the earth fell downwards. Right where Tai was standing. Of course, it made him fall. Face first. About ten feet. With the rather loud sound of flesh hitting water. I glanced at Matt, and noticed that he, too, had one finger slightly raised. No, not _that_ finger…his pointer finger, and I knew that he, too was using his powers.

I watched…along with everyone else…as Tai managed to climb back up, and took a firm stand on the solid ground. Except, then he fell in again. With some help from Sora.

By now, I was laughing so hard that my sides ached. Matt, Sora, and Joe were using their powers to make a fool of Tai! Joe had made the Earth cave in, Matt had filled the hole with water, and Sora had pushed him in.

Except, wait! They weren't done yet, because now I could see the earth from the sides of the hole slowly, then faster and faster, caving in, and filling in the hole. They were burying him alive! YES!

"Tai!" I could hear Mimi cry. Damn you, Mimi! Just let him die, in there…

I sighed. Never mind. Scratch that. Tai couldn't die. Damn him! 

And what was it with the swears? Me, innocent little TK, swearing? Even when I'd been all alone, I hadn't used swear words. I guess I was just so angry at Tai, and angry at Mimi, and just angry at everything and everyone…except for Matt. I felt pity for him.

And except for Kari…I felt only love for her. Wherever she was.

Suddenly, Tai's head popped up from the earth. He must have dug his way out. He glared at Matt, Sora, and Joe, and Mimi helped him out.

"Guess what I found?" he said, spitting out a mouthful of dirt and water…er…mud.

"What is it, Tai?" Mimi asked, brushing some dirt from his clothing. 

Tai just held out his hand, and there in his palm, I saw…the crest of hope.

He was touching my crest! "You let go of that!" I screamed, even though I knew that he wouldn't be able to hear me. "That's mine!"

Rage contorted Matt's features, and he leapt at Tai, grabbing my crest from his hands. "That's my brother's crest, _Tai,"_ he announced, spitting out the name of his former best friend. "Don't unpurify it by touching it with your…" I won't repeat that word… "hands!"

"Matt. In case you didn't know, Mimi and I are the only ones that can activate the damn thing!" Tai hissed.

"I'm sure that TK would rather sit in that bubble of his then have you handling his crest." Matt was so right. I would rather it. Childish, I know. But I didn't care. It was _my_ crest.

Mimi glanced at Tai, then slowly walked up to Matt. "What about me, Matt? Can I see it?"

I watched as Matt slowly backed away from Mimi, anger in his eyes.

"Matt," she said softly, gently touching his shoulder, draping one arm around his neck. "Can I see TK's crest? Please?" and she looked up at him with those big eyes of hers, and I could see Matt's resolve begin to crumble. For just a spit second, he loosened his grip on my crest, and Mimi quickly grabbed it from his hands, tossing it to Tai. Tai looked down into the hole that Joe had created, and threw the crest into there, climbing down into it.

It was then that I saw the sketch of the crest of hope that was on the bottom of the gaping hole in the earth. 

Why was my crest there? Wasn't Joe's power earth? The crests were each found in their holder's land…or at least somewhere that related to the holder's power…

Of course. It was dark underground. And, after all, I _was_ the keeper of darkness.

Anyway, Mimi climbed down as well, and I could see Tai touch the crest, and a blinding light filled the earth, and then Mimi touched it, and the light blinked off.

And as I appeared, all I could think of was the tactic that Mimi had used to get my crest away from Matt. With that thought in mind, I lunged at Mimi. Poor Mimi…this was the second time today that someone had lunged at her.

Oh well. I didn't care. She deserved it.

~*Izzy's point of View*~

As I shimmered into appearance before the others, I took special care not to look at Mimi or Tai. Not that it was any of my business, but the way that they had been acting lately was just…disgusting. They were always together, always looking into each other's eyes, and all that other stuff. Like I said, it wasn't any of my business, but I felt for Matt and Sora…the looks on their faces had been just devastated.

You can probably tell that they found my crest…they found it in the hollow of an old tree, where the shadows played across the worn bark in a brilliant dance of light and dark. It seemed fitting, I guess, seeing as how I _am_ ruler of Shadows.

I didn't thank them… 'them,' being Mimi and Tai…for finding my crest and all. After all, it wasn't like they _wanted_ to free me, they just wanted to go back in time to the day this all began, to the time when our lives were ruined forever.

Anyway, I just turned my back on those two, and instead walked towards Joe, Sora, TK, and Matt. I noticed that they, too, were carefully avoiding eye contact with Tai and Mimi. Not that I blamed them one little bit.

"Izzy," Matt greeted me with a nod. "It's good to have _someone_ with brains here, other than myself and TK." He cast a look at Sora, and added, "And Sora." I guess that those two had kind of warmed up to each other after the…the _incident…_with you know who, and I figured that he didn't want to make her more angry.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "I believe you've gone blind, Matt. There are four…" he glanced at me, "I mean, _five_ of us here."

"Yes, I noticed. And that just proves my point. You obviously don't have the brains enough to realize that I _purposely_ excluded you." He winced as his words resonated around them. "I mean…" he stopped for a moment, and then muttered under his breath, "Sorry, Joe."

I guess Matt was aware that we five of us…six if Kari was with us…had to stick together. Right now, Tai and Mimi held all the power…they were the only ones who could bring Kari back. Well, maybe not…I'm still not sure about Kari…about where she is and all. I know for certain that she's not in one of those little bubbles, but she had to be _somewhere…_and we would most likely need her crest in order to find her. Or maybe not…

"Hello, Izzy," Sora said, picking up on the civil introductions. She smiled at me, which I found slightly strange…weren't we all supposed to be enemies here? Well…maybe not enemies…Mimi and Tai had bonded together, and Matt, Sora, and Joe…and me, I guess…seemed to all be on the same side. But still, last time we'd been together, hadn't we all been mad at each other? 

I also noticed how she stood next to me, and how she didn't exactly keep her distance either. It made me feel…peculiar, at the least. How I was so aware of her, I mean.

I cleared my throat, trying to make the funny feeling go away. "Alright. So TK and Kari are the only ones left, right?" everyone nodded, even the other two. "And after we find them…" I looked at Tai and Mimi for the first time. "Then what do we do?"

Mimi shrugged.

"Sorry, Izzy," Tai said sarcastically. "We didn't exactly interrogate that black, winged guy, okay?"

I looked at Matt. "I think you're right about the brains issue."

~*~

~*Kari's point of View*~

Without a thought to anyone or anything, I stumbled on through the raging sands, my hands clutching at my hair to keep it from flying into my eyes.

With a weary sigh, I moved towards the shade of a large, leafy tree…and found nothing but more sand. Not _another_ mirage…

I needed water badly…the lack of liquid in my body was causing me to become delusional and see things that weren't really there…

"Davis?" I muttered, as I suddenly saw a familiar mop of brown hair. "Davis, I'm sorry!" but he just disappeared, a sad look on his face. Oh, God, that look…it was the same look that he gave me so long ago, when I left…I could feel the guilt sweep through my entire body, bringing me to my knees. Somehow, I managed to push myself back to my feet.

Without a word, I stumbled on, until…"TK?" I heard myself murmur as the blond haired, blue eyed boy appeared in front of me.

"No, Kari, it's just a mirage," I told myself. "Don't get tricked into this again. It's not TK…" I continued on, trying to stay on the same course, instead of weaving back and forth over the burning sands.

But, strangely, the image of the boy that I had once been in love with didn't waver and swim before my eyes, like all the others had seemed to. Instead, this _mirage_ seemed to look solid…

~*???'s point of View*~

I could only watch as Kari stumbled towards the blond haired boy who had suddenly appeared before her eyes, stumbling over the crest of a sand dune. I could see the doubt in her eyes as she continued on, slowly making her way towards him, and I could see the shock on her face when she saw five other people walk up behind him. I could see her trying to convince herself that it was just another mirage.

I smiled sadly. _Not just another mirage, Kari. Hurry, go to them. There is so much more that must unfold…_

To be Continued… 

Gatomon_1


	10. Don't Blame it on me part 3

*waits to be killed* Yes. I told you that you could kill me if I didn't get this out soon. I said something like…*thinks* January 15th. And it's now, I believe, February 1. *backs away* Please, forgive me! Even though I have absolutely NO excuses other than the fact that I had a MAJOR writer's block. But here's the next part, and I hope it was worth the wait. Here comes that unexpected (for those of you who I haven't told the whole plot) twist that I promised. There's a lot of explanations in this one, so I hope it isn't boring. The next part will be out sooner than this one. (Seeing as how my teachers have gone on strike, I'll have PLENTLY of time to write, even around my part-time job.) The next part's going to hold all the romance that I know some of you have been waiting for. But anyway…here's the next part! (It turned out a bit shorter than expected, but it's still longer than mainly all the other parts. ^-~)

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*Don't blame it on Me part 3*~

~*???'s point of View*~

"Okay. Okay, let me get this straight," said the auburn headed boy as he paced about, his voice both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. "It _was_ Kari who disrupted the balance. Her guilt for things that she did millions of years ago caused her to go…" he glanced at Kari, "insane. She lost control of her powers, and tried to, in an attempt to make everything right again, take over TK's domain of darkness, while at the same time trying to defeat my own power of shadow. She betrayed one of the laws by using her power to its full extent, and that's why we all lost control of our powers."

"Yes. You know, no doubt, about the balance."

"Yeah, yeah," The unruly-haired boy…Tai…said. "We know. All of our powers are connected, so if something happens to one power, something happens to them all. Get on with it!"

His words made me sigh inwardly. Great. Now Tai was mad at me, and I was just trying to help. It wasn't easy trying to help these guys. Not easy at all. And after all, I'd been around much longer then them…I was eternal. I knew more then they could ever hope to know. And yet in a way, I also knew less, for there was a weakness within me, a mortal weakness…

It didn't matter. I was an eternal being, and that weakness would soon be overcome. Yes. But now, I was supposed to be helping these mortals-turned-immortal. They wanted to return in time, millions of years back in time, to the day when the curse was bestowed upon them, to try to prevent all of this from happening. And I would help, all because of…

That wasn't important now. They didn't know. They didn't need to know my secret, they would find out later. It would be revealed to them in time, just who I was.

"You must all want, with all your hearts, to return, or it will all go wrong. I will now open a portal, and one by one, you must throw your powers into it…"

"And just how, _how, HOW_ do we do that?" Joe demanded.

"Listen and I will tell you. I will open the portal," I repeated. "One by one, you must think of what you want. And what you want is to go back in time. You must want it with all your heart, or it will go astray. Concentrate on your powers. Force them into the portal. It may sound difficult, but it really isn't. This, of course, will cause you to loose your powers. Unless something goes wrong. Then you will still have your powers…for a time. Now, when the last person has thrown their power into the portal, you will be taken back in time. At the same time, hold your crests out as an offering. It may please the forces of time."

"Okay. Okay, this won't be too hard," Joe said with a sigh of relief.

"We will start with Illusion," I announced, glancing at Tai.

And then, I began at work, creating the portal which would take them back in time.

~*TK's point of View*~

It was big, and shimmery, and it was almost as if you were looking into a pool of water. The portal, I mean. I guess it looked kind of what I always thought a portal would look like. 

We all just kind of stood there, looking at it. This creature obviously had amazing powers, if he could do this…

So now, I guess we were supposed to 'throw' our powers into this portal, and supposedly it would take us home. I mean, back in time. Whatever. That is, if we all _wanted_ to go back in time.

I was certain that we did.

"Illusion," the creature prompted. "Or perhaps you'd prefer _Courage._"

Tai started a bit at the old name, and seemed to hesitate a bit at that. He seemed…I don't know, as if he were remembering something. But then he stepped forward.

"Hold up your crest," he, it, whatever, told him.

Tai did as he had been commanded, holding his crest up towards the portal that hovered just over our heads.

"Concentrate on your power. Concentrate on time."

I could see Tai's face crease in concentration. Well, at least he still had brains enough to do that.

A blinding flash of orange light illuminated the outline of the portal, and his crest disappeared from his hand. Then, the crest of Courage reappeared, except now, it was in the portal. Somehow, it must have transported itself into the portal, and it now hovered near the top. It looked kind of strange, because the portal had this shiny, shimmery surface, and the crest seemed to disrupt it. But I guess it was part of the process.

"Wind."

Sora stepped forward and did exactly as Tai had done. Her crest reappeared right beside his, and the light of her crest flashed and joined the orange of Tai's.

"Water," the creature whispered.

Matt stepped forward, and held up his crest as well, and I could tell that he was concentrating as hard as he had ever concentrated. A flash of blue light appeared. Now this looked even stranger…you see, outlining the shimmery surface of the portal was a border of orange light. Outlining the orange light was a reddish pink light. Outlining that red light was a border of blue light. Matt's crest appeared right underneath Tai's.

"Fire."

Mimi did the same, and soon a green light was bordering the blue, and her crest appeared next to Matt's, under Sora's. 

After me was Kari. But she just stood there, staring at her crest.

"Kari, what's wrong?" Tai's voice was impatient, and Kari looked a bit upset at his tone of voice. "Just do it! When Kari's eyes widened in hurt, and my fists clenched at my sides, Tai seemed to notice the way he had spoken. "Kari…Kari, I'm sorry… I didn't mean it. I'm just stressed. I'm sorry…"

I turned to her, blocking out the sound of Tai's voice. "Kari," I said softly. "Don't you want to go back in time? Back to when this happened?"

She shook her head, and she appeared to be almost irrational. Her eyes darted around, and she ran her tongue over her lips, seeming uncertain of her decision. "I…I have to find Davis…"

I bit back an angry response. "Kari. When we go back in time, you'll see him again. You'll be able to apologize then, okay?"

That seemed to make her feel the tiniest bit better, yet she still seemed hesitant. It made me slightly fearful…the creature had said that we all had to _want_ to go back, or something would go wrong. And Kari didn't seem to really _want_ to go back…

"He's right," the creature said softly. "You'll be able to see the boy again. Just go back in time, erase it all…"

She did as she was told. Her crest appeared right next to mine, and I fought hard to keep a smile from appearing on my face. Izzy and Joe followed suit, but their crests were solitary, Izzy's being centered beneath mine and Kari's, and Joe's underneath his.

"Un. Be. Lievable," Joe muttered as he stared at it. And I had to admit, it _did_ look kind of strange.

But I didn't have much more time to ponder it, because suddenly, we weren't there anymore.

~*~

~*Tai's point of View*~

Okay. I had _one_ question. Just one. A very _big_ question.

Where the HELL were we?

The surroundings that I saw were unfamiliar. It was eerily silent, just like before, but now even more so. It sent chills tingling up and down my spine. Far off in the distance, I could see something moving towards us…something…it was something living, of course. Something tall, something that appeared to be holding something…

I guess I should say _someone_ that appeared to be holding something. And when that someone got closer, I nearly fell over in surprise. It was unbelievable. I was seeing something that hadn't been seen in millions of years.

For one, I was seeing another human being, something that I hadn't seen for just _forever._ And two, I was seeing something that, millions of years ago, no one had seen for millions of years before that.

A knight.

A knight, complete with armor, spear, cape, helmet, horse, and armor for the horse. A knight dressed completely in grey; a metal giant.

Knights were _long_ dead, and yet I was seeing one. What had happened? Something had gone wrong…something…what? What could have gone wrong? I mean, that black dude said that if one of us didn't want…

Damn. That was it. One of us hadn't wanted to go home. One of us had wanted to stay. But who? Who would have wanted to stay behind in hell like that? Who would have felt that they had to…

_Damn it!_ Of course. That was it. Kari had wanted to stay, to find Davis to apologize…impossible as it was. She had messed up our chances to go home! And now, we were stuck somewhere, millions of years before we had even been born. 

Because of Kari's guilt, we'd been transported back into medieval times.

I guess 'the brain' must have come to the same conclusion about an instant before I did, for I suddenly realized that Izzy was talking, explaining my very thoughts.

Matt turned towards Kari, and angry look on his face. And I, being me, instantly jumped to my sister's defense.

"Don't say a word, Matt. Don't you _dare_ say a _single_ word!" if he said _anything_, I'd kill him. Or at least try. I'd put him through hell. Matt must have been able to see my anger, and I do believe that he knew better than to mess with me. Especially when it involved my little sister.

Izzy held up one hand. "You guys, fighting isn't the logical answer to this question. We have to work this out _civilly._" The know-it-all glanced at me. "If I had a dictionary, Tai, I'd lend it to you. As it is, you're just going to have to figure out the meaning on your own."

I stared at him, shock written onto my face. I watched as Sora moved a little bit closer to him, smiling her approval, and as Matt tried to fight back a grin. TK, the little brat, wasn't even trying to hold back his laughter, and Kari said nothing to stop him. And as for Joe, the scaredy cat seemed to approve as well. In fact, the only one who _didn't_ think it was funny was Mimi. When had everyone turned against me? When had they all teamed up against me…and Mimi? Was it because of the fact that we were together? Why would they…

I mean, I can understand why Matt must hate my guts…he had been in love with Mimi. Not that I cared. You snooze you loose. Matt had lost Mimi. And now she was mine. And as for Sora…well, I could kind of understand that, as well. She'd been in love with me…I think. I mean, I knew she was, but I'm still not sure if she loved me that whole time when we were apart. And TK, I can understand, as well…seeing as how the little brat is the brother of the big brat. But what had gotten into Izzy and Joe? And Kari, my own sister?

Well, I could forgive Kari…she _was_ a little upset over the whole 'Davis-loved-me-so-much-but-I-became-immortal-and-left-him-behind-so-now-I-feel-guilty,' thing. But I _wouldn't_ forgive the others. Except Sora…

No. Why should I forgive her? After all, she was giving me the cold shoulder and acting as if she hates me. And besides, I love Mimi. And the fact that Sora is hanging around Izzy…

Wait a minute. Izzy? When the hell did that happen? Just _when_ did Sora start standing so closely to him, leaning over his shoulder to better hear what he said? I mean, I seriously didn't care one bit, but it was kind of a shock. Was she in love with him?

Well, it just made my life easier. Despite my attempts at acting as if I cared absolutely _nothing_ for the others…(and I hate them all, but I still have a shred of human decency in me)…I was still feeling slightly guilty. Well, now I had nothing to feel guilty about.

Still, watching the six of them all standing together, off to the side, made my blood boil. They didn't have a right to treat me…us…like that just because we had (not) betrayed Sora and Matt.

An idea occurred to me just then, and I leaned over towards Mimi a bit, tugging at her arm to pull her closer to me. "I have an idea," I murmured into her ear, enjoying the sensation of my lips against the soft skin of her ear. I could feel her shiver pleasantly at my touch.

"What would that be?"

"Well, they all seem to be against us, hmm?" I rested my chin on her shoulder. She nodded, and I continued. "So let's give them something to be against us for." As I finished my sentence, I let my lips trail over the skin of her neck, aware of the fact that everyone was trying not to look at us…and not succeeding.

Mimi gave a small laugh and turned around as my arms encircled her waist. I almost…_almost,_ mind you…felt bad. I knew that no one wanted to see us together, and this was not something that I'd normally do…but let's face it. They didn't want to talk to us. They had _no_ reason to be giving us the cold shoulder. So why not give them something to hate us for? It made sense to me.

Matt's face was livid, and TK looked about ready to burst into an explosion. Kari had raised one eyebrow and looked slightly surprised. Sora just glared, and Izzy gently rested one hand on her shoulder. Joe pointedly looked away.

"I think they're _really_ mad at us, now," Mimi whispered with a little laugh. "Or at least, Matt and Sora are."

I grinned back. "Why should they be mad?" I teased, dropping small kisses over her cheeks.

"If you guys could either _stop_ or _get a room,_ this would proceed much more quickly," Izzy said, turning around to talk with the others. I reluctantly pulled away from Mimi.

"Sorry, but I don't exactly see a hotel around here." No one answered. Well, not to me, anyway.

"Personally, I think we have to scout around the area," Matt said. "I mean, it's obvious that we've gone back in time, or something, but we need to know exactly where and when we are."

"Sounds good to me," Sora agreed. "Should we all just split up and go in different directions?"

"Wait. You mean…alone? With knights and God knows what else around?" That was Joe, of course.

Matt rolled his eyes. "Well, I doubt that a knight or a God-knows-what-else could harm us." He held up one hand, letting a few ice crystals form in his cupped hand. "It appears that we still have our powers."

So, that was how we all ended up in a different area, alone, except for the barren land around us. We'd all walked off, agreeing to meet back at our original arriving place within a few hours.

And that was how I found the castle.

It was huge…it was gigantic! It filled nearly my whole vision, once I got up close to it. Vertically _and_ horizontally. 

_Wow,_ was all I could think. _Just wow._

It was an ancient castle, made out of stone, complete with a moat and a drawbridge, with plenty of towers and knights standing at the doors. And as I stood there, looking at that magnificent structure, a woman came running over the lowering drawbridge. She was dressed in a color-faded dress that had most likely been blue, but was now more or less white. The dress reached the ground on all sides. Her hair was piled on top of her head under what looked like a kerchief. She looked like someone straight out of a book!

But what was most shocking was that she wasn't surprised to see me at all. In fact, she seemed to know exactly who I was. And it was me that she was running towards.

"Prince Tyler," the woman cried. "Your highness, their majesties are awaiting you. Please, follow me, my prince."

~*~

~*TK's point of View*~

"For the _last time_, Izumi, tell me, where the _hell_ are we? Why do people know us?"

Izzy sighed. He had been trying, for some time, to explain things. Of course, he'd been explaining it too technically.

"Okay," he said. "Let me try this again, in a way that your brain can comprehend." Of course, it wasn't just Tai who didn't understand. I don't think anyone but Izzy really understood this.

"Remember when that creature told us that something might go wrong?" everyone nodded. Tai, of course, looking as if he were going to pop a vein. "He said that we all had to want, with our whole hearts, to go back to that time when everything started. He said that if there were even _one_ person who didn't want to go back, it would all get messed up. Well, we all know that Kari didn't exactly want to go back. And we all know that we've been sent back in time. Back into medieval times, to be precise."

I don't think the others really knew exactly what had happened between Kari and Davis, other than me and Tai. She had told me, back when we were living in Ireland, but I had sworn not to tell anyone. Not to tell anyone how he had seen her, begged her to stay, reproached her for doing that to him. For becoming immortal where he could not; for leaving. I knew that Kari had never been in love with Davis, yet she had always considered him one of her best friends. And she felt that she had betrayed him by leaving him in the land of mortals.

"Continue, if you would," Matt said, boredom lacing his words. "I have more questions. Like…how did everyone seem to know exactly who we were?"

Tai had told us of what had happened to him. But you see, similar things had happened to me and Matt, too. And most likely to the others, as well. You see, Matt and I walked had along for some time, (yes, we were supposed to be going off alone, and we _did_ leave alone. But then we seemed to meet up with each other) and eventually came to this wonderful, great big, exciting looking palace. Just outside the gates, some knight ran up to us, addressing us as 'Your Highnesses,' and seeming to know exactly who we were.

"Well," Izzy began. "I have a theory about that as well."

"So tell us already!" Mimi cried in agitation.

"Okay. Like I said, we went back in time. Except, in my thinking, I think we got transported into an alternate reality of the past. Except, I believe that our family members also got transported. Except, that since this is an alternate reality, these aren't _our_ family members. These are the _alternate_ us's relatives."

"Come again?" Mimi demanded.

"Okay. Let's see if I can make _your_ brain comprehend this."

"Yeah, that'll be difficult," Sora muttered. I almost couldn't keep my laughter from spilling forth. Mimi just glared at her.

"You all know what an alternate reality is." Izzy looked up. "At least, I _hope_ you do." Everyone nodded, and Izzy looked relieved. "Now, think about this. A long time ago, lots of people believed that there were knights and all that kind of stuff. Anyway, say that back then, in the time of knights and all that, an alternate reality was created. And copies of all the people were made. After all, this alternate world needed people. Got it?" more nods. It was starting to make more sense. "But, somehow, the past got mixed up with the future, which _is_ possible in an alternate reality. So, somehow, copies of _ourselves_ were made, and placed in this timeline."

"So these people are like copies of our ancestors from, like, a billion years ago?" I asked. That made a _little_ bit of sense.

"Yes. Except, things were changed a bit. Like our names, and…"

"Wait a minute. One more question, and then you can blabber on all you want," Tai said, crossing his arms. Izzy looked offended, but Tai just ignored his look. "Where are the _real_ alternate copies of ourselves?"

"I believe they got erased when we appeared. We took their spots."

"And is there _any way_ to get back?"

"I don't know. We'll have to do some searching. Now, if I can continue where I left off before you so _rudely_ interrupted me…" Izzy cleared his throat and continued before anyone else could stop him. "Back when this alternate reality of past and future was created, changes were made to us. Like our names. Tai told us that he was called 'Prince Tyler,' by that woman, and that later, his 'mother,' called him 'Tyler Kamiya.' The last name is the same, but the first name has been changed. Yet the name is still similar to his _real_ name. To similar to be a coincidence." He looked around. "Just to make sure that it's _not_ a coincidence, we all need to hear each other's names. Mine is Isaiah. Isaiah Izumi. Once again, really close."

"Mimette," Mimi said. "It sounds so…long and formal to me! Every where I go, it's 'Princess Mimette! Oh, Princess Mimette, if it pleases your highness…'" she touched her chin with one finger. "Of course, I don't mind. And the castle was _beautiful!_ Even more so then the Gekkomon's palace! I wouldn't mind staying here _forever!"_

Tai laughed affectionately, and Matt looked about ready to attack him again, as he had done so many times within the past couple of weeks, so Joe hastily continued. "Joseph. Kido, of course."

Izzy nodded. "What about you, Sora?"

"Sarah. Same last name."

Izzy smiled knowingly. "See? I told you so. What about you, Kari?"

Kari didn't respond immediately, and I guess she didn't quite hear the question.

"Kari, what do they call you?" I asked softly, gently touching her shoulder. I could see Tai clench his fists as I touched Kari, and I thought he might scream something about not letting me touch his sister. But he managed to control his anger.

She looked up. "What? Oh. Keri."

"Matthew," Matt stated, confirming what Izzy knew.

"And you, TK?" Izzy looked at me, his expression innocent.

I looked down at my feet and didn't answer. Beside me, I could hear Matt starting to laugh. Me, I literally refused to speak. I hated the name that I'd been saddled with. I mean…I mean…ugh! Alone, both names were nice. Together? No.

"TK. What's your name?"

By now, Matt was laughing outright, clutching at his sides. I mumbled a few incomprehensible words.

"What?" Sora asked, leaning closer to me to catch the words.

"I said, 'Tmms Kt," I said, a little bit more clearly.

"We still can't hear you," Tai sang out, obviously enjoying my discomfort.

"I said, 'THOMAS KEITH!'" I finally shouted, my hands clenching at my sides.

The whole group erupted into laughter…even Kari, and after a moment I hesitantly joined in.

"You have to admit," Izzy managed to gasp out. "It's funny. And it's your initials, too!"

And so, for a time we all stood there, joined by our laughter, as for a moment we forgot our hatred and anger. For a moment, we were ourselves again.

To be continued…

Gatomon_1


	11. When Things Don't Turn Out Right: Part 1

Okay. I'm SOOOOOO sorry for the long amounts of time in between updates. I know this part is kind of short, but I swear upon my life that the next part will make up for it. It's going to be SO long…and yes, this time I mean it. I mean, I'm halfway through, and have almost 17 pages written. And I have NO intention of cutting it in half, so it'll be worth it (I hope.) Anyway…here's the next part!

~*All That's left are Whispers*~

~*When Things Don't Turn out Right: Part 1*~ 

~*Kari's point of View*~

We had all decided that it was best if we each went to our separate kingdoms. That way, our 'relatives,' wouldn't start freaking out and all. After all, in this alternate reality, we were considered royalty, and most of us were either an heir or an heiress to the throne of one land or another. As it is, we've been here for about three days, trying to fit in while trying to find a way back at the same time.

Yes, it's me, the 'crazy,' one, as I'm sure I must be thought of. And yes, I am rational. I may be guilt-ridden and all, but I've found that I'm capable of telling this story, as well.

Anyway, here's how things stand…at the moment, Tai and I are in the land of Kamiya. Everyone else is in their respective 'lands.' Tai is presently storming around the grounds. You see, it appears that not all of our relatives are at…shall we say, peace.

Right now, the Land of Kamiya is _not_ on good terms with that of Tachikawa. As in, is on the brink of war. Which means that Tai has to sneak out every time he wants to see Mimi. And at the same time, the Land of Ishida _is_ on good terms with that of Tachikawa…and with us. (Don't ask how that happened. I'm surprised that my 'dad' is actually _speaking_ with someone who thinks of the Tachikawa's in good terms. I guess you could say that the Ishida's are on neutral ground. Of course, if they get angry, they're dangerous, I've heard, and 'dad' knows that. I think that's why we're on good terms with them.) Anyway, that means that Matt gets to see Mimi all the time, and that his 'family,' is constantly over here, as well. You see, it seems that some things are like they used to be…Tai and Matt are supposed to be best friends.

Anyway…we're on perfectly good terms with the Takenouchi's, and we're not exactly at war with the Izumi's. The Kido's…well, they're allies of the Tachikawa's, so you can guess that it's not easy to meet up with Joe.

As it is, we've been able to have a group meeting…once. And only for a couple of hours, at that. We didn't get much talking done, for Matt and Tai were constantly fighting, and the rest of us were busy trying to keep them apart. We weren't able to come up with any ideas to get home, unfortunately, but we had another meeting scheduled later on today. In just less than three hours, I'd have to leave.

Right now, though, the Ishida's were pulling through the gates of Kamiya. They were supposed to be guests at the palace here for a few days. There's some business that the two kings needed to take care of, I hear. Most likely it'll end up with my 'father' trying to turn TK's 'father' against the Tachikawa's. Who knew where _that_ would lead? Maybe he would succeed, but then again, maybe he wouldn't.

Anyway, it would make it a lot easier for the gathering. Tai, Matt, TK, and I would all be together. With the four of us, we could most likely come up with some plan of getting away from the palace grounds, away from the watchful eyes of the guards that followed our every move. Maybe. We'd just have to see how it would go. But, for now, there were still several hours that I needed to pass, and there was nothing to do. So I just watched as the royal family of Ishida proceeded to sweep out of the carriage that they had appeared in. As they did so, I couldn't help but smile. Everything was…well, out of a book, I guess. The tall stone castles, complete with drawbridges and moats and looming towers. The knights, the maids, the court jesters that entertained at dinner. The carriages that bore people from place to place, the way people spoke…to me, it almost didn't seem real, because I was of another reality, from another time. Yet to everyone else that lived here, it _was_ real…it was the only 'real' that they had ever known, and that gave it a kind of charm. I really wouldn't mind living here, except for the fact that I knew that I wasn't really supposed to be here. I either wanted to go back to my lone existence, back to guarding over the realm of light. Or I wanted to go back to a time when I had been a normal teenager. Find Davis…

Yeah, I know what you most likely think. 'Please, don't start with the whole Davis thing again! I've heard enough.' But I just can't help it…

Wait…TK was stepping out of the carriage now…I could see him looking for me, his eyes searching for mine. I let my eyes meet his, then slowly turned around and began walking away. Normally, I would be expected to go and greet a visiting royal family. If it was a purely visitation thing. But it was more of a business meeting. My 'father' and King Ishida would head immediately for my 'father's' study, and my 'mother' would whisk Queen Ishida away to visit. Tai would be expected to entertain Matt. TK, too, if he wanted to stick around. But I knew that TK would most likely follow me. Anyway, the point was, I wouldn't be expected to make an appearance until dinnertime, when I would have to be dressed in my finest gown and best crown. I mean…the other Kari's finest gown and so on…you get what I mean.

Yeah, I guess I must sound like I've been doing this forever. But, while I've been here, I've tried my best to pick up on everything. I wouldn't want to slip up, after all. 

As I neared the small woodland that graced the back of the Kamiya estate, I tucked my dress around my legs, holding it close to me so that the delicate material wouldn't get caught on anything. The trees were rather close together, making it difficult to keep away from the thorny branches that reached out to grasp at me. Finally, though, I came to a little clearing…no more than twenty feet square…that was more or less devoid of any trees or shrubbery, yet the branches from the surrounding overgrowth formed a nice little canopy over my head, shielding me from the sun.

I let a lazy smile cross over my face as I propped myself up against the back of a nearby tree, stretching my feet out before me, enjoying the feel of the cool grass against my bare ankles. I knew he had seen me, and therefore, knew that he would come.

"You look like you were made to be here, Kari."

I didn't look at him as he drew nearer, or as he carefully sat down next to me. I just kept my gaze fastened on the far off horizon, almost wishing he would leave, yet wanting him to stay.

"Are you thinking about him again?"

By the tone of his voice, I knew exactly who TK meant. I looked down at the ground, and answered, "No, not just him. I'm thinking of all of them. Of all the ones we left behind."

"You seem sane enough…" I could tell that the words slipped out easily enough, as if they were just a simple thought. In fact, I was nearly certain that he hadn't meant for me to hear them.

I guess he didn't realize that he had spoken until I drew away from him, resting my chin against my drawn-up knees.

A stricken look crossed onto his face. "Kari…I didn't mean…"

"I know what you 'didn't mean,' TK." I looked at him sadly. "It's what they all think. Isn't it?"

"I…Kari, it's not…" he ran one hand through his blond hair, seemingly at a loss for words. "It's not that they…God, what am I supposed to say? We…at least, _I,_ don't think you're crazy."

"Thank you." The words were spoken softly, yet also held a doubtful tone. I changed the subject abruptly. "Do you think we'll be able to get back?

TK managed a reassuring grin. "Of course. We've got Izzy. You _know_ that he knows what's going on. And then there's his theory about getting back…he said he'd explain it today."

"When are we meeting everyone?"

"As soon as Matt and Tai get over here. We're going to meet at the spot where we all arrived here."

I sighed. "Knowing those two, it's going to take a few hours for them to get here. They're probably fighting right now."

"Of course. What else would they be doing?" he chuckled, and gently draped one arm over her shoulders. "But that's okay. We may as well let them get it out of their systems now, instead of during the meeting."

I paused for a moment, and it must have looked to TK as if I were at a loss for what to say. In reality, I just didn't know whether to broach the subject or not. Finally, I decided to take the chance.

"Do you think Mimi and Tai will stay together? It's tearing Matt and Sora apart."

TK didn't reply, and for a moment, I deeply regretted asking the question. "I don't know. I think that, somewhere in her heart, Mimi still loves Matt, and that somewhere in his, Tai loves Sora. But they've just been so hardened by pain and loneliness that they're…disoriented." He paused, and then continued, looking as if he felt that he needed to ask the next question. "Do you realize that we're the only original couple left?" he shot a sideways look at me. "At least, I think so. Or am I wrong to assume…"

I looked down at my hands. "You're not wrong to assume _anything_, TK. Actually, I was wondering the same thing."

"I don't want to break up."

I looked up again and gave him a tentative smile. "Neither do I." I decided to try a shot at light heartedness. "You're going to have to share me with my hallucinations, though." After the words left my mouth, I realized how _un-_funny they were, especially when a shadow passed over my companion's face.

"Kari…"

"No, don't say it." At the moment, I really didn't want to hear TK say that I was completely insane.

He continued anyway. "Personally, I'd prefer not to share you. But you know I'd do anything at all for you…"

I smiled again. He was so sweet…always had been. Even though he, too, had been hardened by the anger and saddness, he could never bury that part of himself. I realized, however, that this was mainly the first time that he'd actually let himself revert back to the old TK. I hoped that he would do so more often.

Without a word, he gently tightened his arm around my shoulders.

"Get you're hands of my sister." The words were snarled with a viciousness that I'd never heard in my brother until now. Yeah, he'd always been protective, but I guess the fact that TK was Matt's brother, and the fact that I loved him, was hard to take. _Well. It seems that they finally made it here._

His words shocked me, though. Well, not so much his words as the tone of voice he used. This was _way_ passed over-protectiveness.

"Speak to my brother like that again and I'll put you through a garbage compactor." Matt spoke with his usual calm, cool voice. TK didn't flinch, and just drew me even closer to him, all the while glaring daggers at Tai.

"Stop fighting," I commanded. "Come on. The others will be waiting. What took you two so long?"

"You can blame it on him," Tai said with a hint of his old self, as he jabbed one finger at Matt.

"Oh, so everything's always my fault?"

"Pretty much, yeah." He frowned. "Okay. I take it back." I guess he figured that he might as well call some sort of a truce for the next five minutes or so. "I guess I make some mistakes too."

I grinned. "That's better. Now, why don't you two kiss and make up, and…"

Both of them were glaring at _me_, now. I backed away from them, a sheepish look on my face, but I wasn't about to back down. "Pucker up, Tai," I teased. "And close your eyes. I hear Matt's supposed to be really good…"

He lunged at me. It was all in playfulness, I knew, but I still shrieked and jumped behind TK. This soon led to Tai chasing me around the small clearing while TK shouted words of encouragement and advice, and Matt just watched with an amused look on his face. All in all…we were _very_ late for the meeting.

~*~

~*Mimi's point of View*~

"Well, all in all, it was a pretty interesting meeting. What with Matt and Sora trying to kill us." Tai laughed and reached over to curl his fingers around my hand. "I did notice that Izzy sided with Sora a lot. Think something's going on there?"

When a slight shadow passed over Tai's face, I felt a small twinge of worry. _Please don't tell me that he's still in love with her…please…_

"Possibly," he replied, his voice holding a guarded tone. "I did notice her watching him a lot. He seemed to notice her looking at him, and he didn't really seem to mind."

As we walked silently along the shadowed path, I let a question that I didn't want to ask play through my mind. To ask or not to ask…that was the question.

"Does it…" I nearly choked over the words, and then quickly swallowed my fear. "Does it bother you?"

He turned to look at me. "Why should it bother me?" The words were spoken simply enough, but I was pretty sure I could hear a slight strain in his voice, and I noticed a bit of a shadow cross over his face again.

"Because you used to love her."

"What she does or who she loves is no concern of mine. It just seems…strange, you know? Sora and _Izzy?_ It'd be like…I don't know, Kari and Matt! I mean, can you see that happening? I can't…for one thing, I'd kill him. But back on topic…they just seem so…_different."_

"Do they really? They could say the same thing about us."

He sighed. "Personally, I don't really want to talk about the others right now."

I shot a sideways look at him. "Well, then what do you want to talk about?"

He smiled at me. "How about…us?"

I smiled back. "Sounds good to me."

It was at that moment that we heard the sound of footsteps hurrying over the path towards us. I shot a look at Tai. If I was seen with him…anyone would be able to tell he was from the family of Kamiya. An enemy.

He shot a worried look at me, and then quickly disappeared into the forest, leaving me alone. Which was almost as bad. I mean…the Tachikawa Princess walking in the forest _alone?_ I looked around, and almost laughed at what I saw. Standing on either side of me was a handmaiden. Behind me and in front of me where two guards, complete with full armor, sitting atop their horses, spears drawn and ready to protect me. "Thank you, Tai," I whispered. After all…it seemed that since the spell to bring us home had gone awry, we still had our powers. And Tai was the King of Illusions.

"Your Highness!" It was a messenger, I noticed, his face flushed from hurrying. "Their Majesties wish to talk with you about a matter of utmost importance!" I bit back a smile. No wonder he looked so flushed, no wonder he had been hurrying. No one wanted to keep royalty waiting.

"Very well," I replied, trying my hardest to speak in my best 'royal' tone, and trying to keep my voice indifferent. "I thank you. Pray hasten back to the palace and tell their Majesties that I will be along shortly."

_Poor boy. I suppose I shouldn't have sent him back to the palace without resting…_

I was about to call him back, but it was too late…he was already running along the pathway, making his way back to the palace.

~*~

"Your Majesties," I murmured, nodding my head in a small bow. "You sent for me."

"Darling," my 'father' said, a smile breaking onto his face. "Your mother and I decided that it was time to start with the preparations."

"Yes," my 'mother' continued, ignoring the confused look on my face. "There is the announcement ball coming up soon, and then the actual ceremony will take place within a month…there is so much to do!"

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, completely aware of the dread that was rising within me. My 'mother' was talking about something that her daughter was supposed to know of. Something that her daughter was supposed to be excited about. And the tone of her voice made me _want_ to be excited, except that there was this small feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Mimette, you know of what I speak of. After all, you were there when the agreement was made. You agreed wholeheartedly to it!"

I watched as she looked at my 'father,' a worried look on her face. Most likely, she was worried about the fact that I seemed to remember nothing. The reality was that I had _heard_ nothing in the first place.

"My dear, you know that we're talking about your upcoming wedding to Matthew Ishida!"

To be Continued…

Gatomon_1


	12. When Things Don't Turn Out Right: Part 2

*random person* Oh, my God! *points at Gatomon_1* It's alive!

Yes, I'm still alive. And I've finally finished this part, though I'm not sure that anyone is still reading. But that's my own fault.

Anyway, since author alert is gone, and if you _are_ still reading this, and don't like to have to keep checking back for new chapters, here's what you can do. Just e-mail me, and I'll e-mail you whenever I add a new chapter. Which will hopefully be sooner than this one came out. Anyway, enjoy!

~*All that's left are Whispers*~

~*Mimi's Point of View*~

"No, no, NO! You must move the Princess's throne CLOSER to the Prince's! Try moving it over another three inches. There we go. Perfect!" The servant turned towards me, waiting for my approval. Me, I couldn't care less where the thrones were placed. It mattered nothing to me. All that mattered was the fact that my entire body felt numb…I swear I couldn't feel my fingers, even though they were loosely clenched. _Loosely_ clenched because I was supposed to be the happiest person in the world right now. After all…I, the Princess Mimette of the Tachikawa family was getting married to a Prince. The marriage would bring about a stronger alliance between my family and his. The other Mimi…er, _Mimette…_would be ecstatic, because it had long been rumored that she was in love with her betrothed.

There was one problem. _I_ wasn't in love with him. Want to know why? I have a two-word answer for you.

Matt Ishida.

Long ago, I had fallen in love with him. Just recently, I had fallen _out_ of love with him…and in love with his former best friend. See my point? But, wait! It wasn't over yet. Because I could just see my problem getting worse, for suddenly the doors opened, and the royal family of Ishida walked into the room.

~*~

The smile that was plastered onto my face was fake; he knew it, and I knew that he knew it. And he knew that I knew that he knew it, and I knew it. He knew it, too. I gritted my teeth. As I worked to keep that fake smile on my face, Matt sighed in irritation for about the ten thousandth time of the night. "Mimi, are you _trying_ to step on my feet?"

"Yes."

"I thought so."

"This is all your fault."

An amused look crossed onto his face. "And why would you say that?"

I glared up at him in frustration. "Because you're the prince of the realm of Ishida! You could have said _no! _Your parents would have listened to you. And if you _had_ said 'no,' then we wouldn't be in this situation, I wouldn't have to marry you, and you wouldn't have to put up with bruised toes!"

He gave me a strange look. "We were engaged long before today, Mimi. You know we were. You can't tell me that you don't remember…because I do."

"It doesn't matter. You still could have called it off, and then I could be with Tai!"

"But I don't want you to be with Tai."

I glared at him once again and, like so many times earlier this evening, purposely stomped on his toes.

~*Matt's point of View*~ 

The evening had been going well, I suppose, all things considered. It had been a real hassle, getting everyone here, considering that half of the royal families weren't on good terms with the family of Tachikawa. What with the families of Tachikawa and (thank God) Kamiya always at each other's throats, it normally would have been almost impossible for Tai to make it. Which would have suited _me_ just fine, but, you see…everyone else had decided that it would be the perfect place for us to all meet up. So Tai had planned to create illusions around himself and Kari, as well as Sora, since the Takenouchi family is an ally of the Kamiya's. He'd also planned to do the same for Izzy…the Izumi's didn't seem to like either the Kamiya's _or_ the Tachikawa's. But, you see, this was how it worked out. The Tachikawa's didn't want the Kamiya's at the engagement ball, but _my_ 'family,' did. After all, I was part of this engagement, this forging of an alliance, as well. And the Kamiya's were friends of my 'family.' So my 'father,' the king of the Ishida family, had insisted, absolutely _insisted_ that, at the very least, crown prince Taichi and his sister, Hikari, be allowed to attend. Mimi's 'father,' had eventually given in.

So, anyway, we were all here, at the engagement ball that was being held for Mimi and myself. Personally, I was in heaven, even though my toes were not in agreement.

I had to admit, it hurt that Mimi didn't seem to want to think about the past that we had shared together...and that she had shrugged off my remark about us being engaged. She might be able to pretend that she didn't remember, but, for the rest of forever, I'll never be able to forget that night.

~*Flashback to sometime after 'Once Upon Forever,' but before the Epilogue*~

__

I asked myself what love is…

This funny feeling in my heart?

Or maybe it's the saddness

I feel when we depart.

The setting and mood of the restaurant was everything that I could have hopped for, I couldn't help but notice, as I managed to tear my eyes away from Mimi for a brief moment. The small, round tables were made of a beautifully polished wood, spaced out and scattered about in what almost looked like a random pattern on the equally polished floor. At the center of each table, was a small vase of roses; some red, some white, and some a mixture of both; the ones that separated Mimi and I were red. I would have gone for pink, but, unfortunately, that hadn't been an option.

Gleaming chandeliers sparkled with brilliance over our heads, the faint light from the candles shining creating the perfect balance between light and dark. Music slowly drifted down to us from hidden speakers, soft, yet not so much that it couldn't be heard. The song playing was one of Mimi's favorites; I didn't know if it was just a coincidence, or if she had requested it when we entered.

Off to one side was dance floor; several couples swayed to the song, arms wrapped around each other as if they would never let go. As for the dining part of the restaurant, there were also several couples still dining, as Mimi and I were.

__

Or the pounding of your heartbeat,

Strong against my ear,

Or the warmth that floods my body,

Whenever you are near.

After my quick glance around the room, my eyes immediately returned to Mimi's. The happiness and contentment that I saw there was almost intoxicating.

"So. What's the special occasion, Matt?" her voice was soft, caressing, and surrounded me in my own little bubble of beatitude, until her face and voice were the only things that made up my world.

"Nothing," I responded almost briskly. "I just felt like taking you out."

She laughed, a cheerful, silvery sound that made me smile without even thinking about it. She had that kind of effect on you; when she smiled, you just felt that you had to smile, as well. When she laughed, you couldn't help but laugh along with her. "I don't believe you. You, Matt Ishida? Spending all this money…" she let her eyes wander around the room, like mine had just a few moments earlier, "and what a lot of money it must have cost," she breathed. "Anyway, spending all this money just to take me out for no reason?" she laughed again, and reached out her hand to touch mine. "I don't think so."

__

But I know that it's impossible,

For if that were true,

Then love could be for anyone,

Not just for me and you.

"Why, Mimi, that hurts." I said, with a wounded look on my face. "It really does. That was _completely_ uncalled for. I've taken you out for no reason, before."

"Yeah? When was the last time you ever did such a thing?"

I paused, letting my eyebrows draw downwards in concentration. Suddenly, they shot upwards as an example came to mind. "Last month. Remember? I picked you up at work and drove you to that place…Cammy's Diner…remember? It was that little restaurant along the beach."

Suddenly her eyes lit up, and they seemed to light up the whole room, as well. "It was such an adorable little place!" she said, tilting her head to one side. "I remember now. And then, after dinner, we walked along the beach."

I scowled, more for my 'image,' then because I hadn't enjoyed it. "And collected seashells."

__

Love's the way you smile at me,

And the softness in your touch,

Emotions deep inside your voice,

That makes me feel so much.

"Except then, you pushed me in."

I winced, knowing exactly where this conversation was going. "God, I should have known better than to bring this up…" I muttered to myself. If Mimi heard me, then she didn't show it.

"And I got _seaweed_ in my hair! _Seaweed,_ Matt! And all over my dress, too!"

I sighed. "Aren't you _ever_ going to forgive me for that?"

She shook her head vigorously in response. "Nope. Never."

"I think you should." It was becoming noticeably harder for me to breathe; partly because of her nearness, and partly because…I took a deep breath, forcing an air of calmness into my words.

"Why?" her eyes sparkled at me as we once again began this familiar conversation. Except, today, it was going to take a different turn, and, I hoped, have a _very_ different result.

__

Only you can give these things

So I know now what is true,

Only you can show me love,

So I know that love is you.

"Oh, I don't know," I began slowly, leaning towards her, and once again nearly drowning in her amber eyes.

She watched me curiously, but didn't say anything as she waited for me to continue.

"I guess there's been something I've been wanting to ask you. But, then again, if you're not going to forgive me…" I let me voice trail off, and she raised one eyebrow in amusement. Finally, after several seconds, I picked up where I had left off. "If you're not going to forgive me, then how can I ask?"

She considered me for a few moments, before finally asking, "is it _worth_ forgiving you for?"

"I don't know," I replied, "Only you can tell me that. But I think you'll like it."

More consideration, more painfully long moments of waiting. "Okay. I forgive you."

__

I could say that it's the tone

Settled in the air,

Or the softness of the music,

And the roses that you bear.

I smiled at her then, carefully masking the intense nervousness that I felt. "It's about time," I murmured, before leaning back in my chair.

She leaned forward even more. "Weren't you going to ask me something?"

I shrugged. "I suppose. But it can wait until after dinner. I believe that's our food." I motioned towards the fancily dressed waiter that was carefully moving towards us, two trays balanced skillfully in his hands.

"Matt!" she exclaimed. "I forgave you, but only to hear what you had to say!"

I smirked at her. "Well, we can't let the food go cold, can we?"

She glared at me, and my heard sank, until she finally sighed with resentment. "Fine. Okay. We'll play your little game." She glanced at the artistically arranged food on her plate. "Let's eat."

I smiled. Soon, the perfect time would come.

__

The ring that's in the wine glass,

The fear upon your face,

As you wait upon my answer,

Our fingers interlaced.

"Dance?" I inquired after dinner, as we both sat lingering over wine and dessert. She nodded slowly, and then stood and followed me to the dance floor.

The rest of the dinner date passed by as if I were in a dream, and I could tell that she felt the same way. We danced, ate dessert, and then danced some more. Finally, as the sun was sinking, I paid the bill, and we left.

"Where to now?" Mimi asked, looking sideways at me.

"Oh, I don't know." I glanced at her. "How about the beach?"

"Why? So you can push me into the waves again?"

I laughed. "How about this. This time, I'll let _you_ push _me_ into the waves."

She contemplated that for a moment, before smiling brilliantly. "Deal!"

__

But I know that it's impossible

For if that were true, 

Then love could be for anyone,

Not just for me and you.

By the time we reached the beach, the summer sun was beginning to set, casting brilliant rays of a golden, almost scarlet color across what blue was still left in the sky, painting the undersides of the few, scattered clouds that adorned the sky like ornaments on a mantle.

Slowly, hands clasped together, we strolled along the edge of the water. After a while, Mimi turned to look at me, with a conspiratorial grin. "You said that I could push you into the water. For payback."

I grimaced, more for the sake of making her laugh than for the fact that I dreaded the upcoming event. With the sun sinking, the water was most likely freezing cold. But that line was a perfect setup for what I wanted to say.

__

Love's the way you smile at me,

And the softness in your touch,

Emotions deep inside your voice,

That makes me feel so much.

I took a deep breath, trying to perfect my next sentence before I spoke it. "I've changed my mind."

She looked at me in confusion, and so I continued. "There's something else that you have to do first. Or rather, that I have to do. That you have to say."

"And what would that be?" her soft voice seemed to hold a teasing note in it, which led me to believe that she knew exactly what I was going to say.

"Guess."

"I don't think so. I think it's about time that we end this little game, and you tell me what you were going to say before."

__

Only you can give these things

So I know now what is true,

Only you can show me love,

So I know that love is you.

I guess I had always planned for this moment to be specially unique, so that it would hopefully be more memorable. There were a million ways in which to propose to someone…all of which had already been used two million times. But, at this moment, looking into her eyes, all thoughts of a unique proposal fled my mind. How many ways were there to say the same four words? The answer: not many.

"I…" I took another deep breath, and ran one hand through my hair nervously. I almost found that strange—I had never been a nervous person before, like Joe—except that I knew that the next few moments would determine the fate of the rest of my life. I gave a small laugh. "I've practiced what to say over and over again, but I can't seem to remember any of my perfect lines at the moment."

"Matt. Are you going to ask me to marry you, or not?"

__

Only you can give these things,

So I know now what is true,

Only you can show me love,

So I know that love is you.

Her words nearly surprised me—I'd known that she most likely knew what I wanted to say, yet I hadn't expected that comment—except for the fact that this was Mimi saying it, which didn't make it as surprising to me as it could have been.

"I _suppose_ that's what I've been meaning to ask you."

I waited; she waited. Finally, I spoke once again.

"Mimi. Are you going to say yes, or not?"

"Matt. Are you actually going to ask me, or just expect me to _assume?_"

I nearly broke into laughter at that…in fact, I would have if it hadn't been such a serious moment.

__

Only you can show me love,

So I know that love is you.

"If that's what you want. Mimi, will you marry me?"

I smile flashed onto her face, and I knew that she would have thrown her arms around me, if she hadn't been too busy looking into my eyes. "If that's what you want," she whispered softly.

"It is."

This time, she did throw her arms around me.

~*Sora's Point of View*~

The evening was going well. If you considered 'painful' to be synonymous with the word 'well.' All evening, I had watched Mimi and Matt dancing, which was the highlight of the ball, I must say, despite the dislike that I hold for my former best friend. But then there was Mimi and Tai. They kept glancing at each other, their longing to be together written plainly on their face. I kept feeling this urge to hit Tai. Or Mimi. Or possibly both of them.

And speaking of Tai, there he was, standing just feet away from me. It was getting harder to breathe, I noticed. But there was something that I had to say to him, so, despite the nervousness and anger that I felt, I walked towards him.

Without a word, I raised one hand, balled it into a fist, and let it fly towards Tai's face. He was so surprised that he didn't see it coming until too late. Me…me, I was angry, upset…everything that you would expect from someone who's been cheated on in the worst kind of way.

"Taichi Kamiya, you are the most insensitive jerk I have _ever _metin my _entire_ life! I can't believe you! It would have been bad enough if we had just been dating…but this…"

He just stared blankly at me, and I almost hit him again. Silently, I pulled out a chain that had been hidden by the collar of my dress. The item that was on the chain was something that I hadn't worn in millions of years…yet I had always kept it with me, looked at it every day, remembered every minute of every hour…almost. When Tai saw the plain wedding band, his eyes widened. 

"We were married, Tai. Don't you remember Riccardo and Isabella Soccerball? Or have you conveniently forgotten those names?"

Surprise, understanding, and horror danced across his face in rapid succession. "Oh, God…"

"Yeah, Tai. 'Oh, God.' Didn't remember, did you?" As I waited for his answer, I dreaded and anticipated his next words at the same time. I knew what I would do if he said 'yes.' I also knew what I would do if he said 'no.' He closed his eyes, and carefully rubbed one hand against his face.

"No, I didn't."

I could feel the tears welling up behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall, refused to let him see how much he had hurt me. "I can't believe you," I whispered. "I can't believe that even _you_ could be so…so heartless! You and Mimi deserve each other, if that's how you're going to act."

He looked up in surprise…he must have thought that I was going to hit him again, or something. It was _very_ tempting, but at the moment, even the intense anger that I felt was dulled by the even more profound pain.

"Why do you say that?" he asked hesitantly, as if almost fearing my answer.

I looked up, and one single tear traced it's way down my face. "You know, there were so many times, throughout our lives, when I could have chosen someone else, someone who would have stayed true to me. But instead, I convinced myself that you truly loved me, as much as I loved you; that we could be happy together." Unbidden, an image of a certain red-haired friend of mine swam before my eyes, but I pushed it away. Right now, I didn't want to think about Izzy. True, over the past few days, I had convinced myself that I felt…_something…_for him, but if it came down to it, I knew that I would, without a doubt, without even the smallest hesitation, choose Tai. So, right now, all I wanted to think about was what I wanted to say to him. I didn't want to hurt him, anymore…no matter how much I had changed, that wasn't in the character of the Holder of the Crest of Love. I just wanted to make him see how much his actions had hurt me, how _his_ actions did not fit in with the character of the Crest of Courage.

"Sora. Why do you think that Mimi and I deserve each other?"

Another tear traced it's way down my face; I wiped it away, but not out of anger. "Well, since you're both obviously willing to hurt anyone to be together, then you obviously love each other." I could see the relief beginning to cross onto his face, but it froze with my next words, and as my voice hardened. "And you're both absolutely heartless."

"Sora, I'm sorry…" for the first time that I can remember since the Digidestined had been reunited, his voice sounded truly sincere.

I turned away from him, and began to cross the crowded room, then turned back to him. "I don't want your pity, Tai."

"Then what _do_ you want?"

I could feel the features of my face harden into an unreadable mask. "I used to believe that I wanted _you._ But now, I'm not so sure anymore." And then I walked away, leaving Tai with a pained, sorrowful expression etched into his eyes.

~*Tai's Point of View*~

As Sora moved quickly and angrily away from me, I resisted the urge to raise a hand to my stinging cheek. I knew that within moments—if not already so—that a red shape in the form of a balled-up hand would be visible on my face.

Or, it would be, if I weren't the King of Illusion.

I was very happy about the ability of my power when I suddenly saw Mimi moving towards me.

"Hi," she said softly, smiling at me.

"Hi yourself." I paused for a moment, and then added, "Aren't we supposed to be enemies?"

She laughed lightly at that. "I convinced my parents that it would be completely rude if I didn't dance with you once…after all, you _are_ a prince, and a guest, even if you _are_ an enemy. Little did I know that it's actually quite proper…you could almost call it etiquette. I also succeeded in convincing them of the fact that my…" she scowled, "_fiancée…_wouldn't mind, because you're his best friend. They finally realized that I was right."

"Good. That's _very_ good. So. Will you dance with me?" I grinned, and held out one hand to her.

"Gladly…and I promise not to step on your toes."

"I could almost feel sorry for the guy…if he weren't trying to steal you away from me.

"Most likely he thinks that _you_ stole me away from _him._"

"Most likely."

"I saw you talking to Sora."

I was so surprised at that comment that my illusion slipped. You see, I hadn't had time to anchor it before she came. It was something that I always had to do, if I wanted an illusion to last for more than a few seconds…it had to be anchored to something solid. That's why I generally kept a smooth, black stone in one of my pockets. It worked perfectly for anchoring, plus no one would be able to disturb it, and thus make the illusion fail.

When Mimi saw the red fist-print that now adorned my cheek, I heard a sharp intake of breath. I quickly replaced the illusion, this time taking time to anchor it.

"She slapped you."

"Hit me…or punched me, I guess…is more like it."

"…Why?"

It was then that I realized that Mimi didn't remember, either. I could dimly recall Sora telling Mimi about our marriage on that long ago day when we had gathered to rescue Kari, if I thought about it really hard. As it was, I didn't want to remind her about it.

"It…we were just arguing. Over…about how to get back." I smiled ruefully. "Obviously we disagreed."

From the look that she gave me, I could tell that she didn't believe me.

~*TK's point of View*~ 

"Dance?" I inquired of Kari as I stepped up behind her, placing one hand gently on her elbow. She turned with a start, but upon seeing that it was me, she smiled. I took that as her agreement, and smiled back.

"So, how's your night going?" I asked after several moments of silence, as we carefully navigated our way through the lively waltz.

"So far, so good. I haven't seen any major explosions between Matt and Tai." She grimaced, and then sighed. "I just hope that they can keep it up." She paused, and cast a glance at the other side of the enormous ballroom of the Tachikawa's. "I think the other's are getting impatient for the meeting to get under way."

"I know. But what can we do about it? We can't just…walk away. Especially not Matt and Mimi, with them being the guests of honor, and all." I sighed. "But you're right. We need to get this meeting over with." I gave a shake of my head, and then met her gaze. "I'm _not_ looking forward to it." Kari murmured her agreement as we continued to move gracefully in and among the other couples on the floor. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Mimi and Matt dancing, again. They'd already danced many times throughout the night, and I knew that it wasn't Mimi's doing either, no matter how happy she forced herself to look. After all, no matter how much she _didn't_ love my brother, she had to act the part. Matt's happiness wasn't faked, though…I knew my brother too well for him to fool me with something like that. He was happy, he was content, he was on cloud nine…

And he was also staggering from pain when Mimi once again stomped on his toes, and then pretended to apologize, her smug look of approval skillfully masked by concern. Matt's lips didn't move to speak words of response; even if they had, I wouldn't have been able to hear him. Instead, he just bowed to her, and then gently touched her face before walking off.

The look on her face surprised me. As he walked away, she carefully brushed her fingers against her cheek, where Matt had touched her. Even from where I stood, many paces away, I could see the faint blush that colored her face. Gently, I nudged Kari, and pointed, but she was already watching, her brown eyes smiling at her former friend.

"I do believe she still loves him," she whispered.

My heart, which had just a moment ago been happy for the two, hardened. "Then why is she with the…I mean, your brother?" I stopped myself from calling Tai something delightfully rude just in time.

Kari looked up at me, and though her lips curved upwards in a smile, it didn't quite reach her eyes. "She just doesn't realize it yet." She looked away from me. "And, personally, I don't think she ever will."

~*Joe's point of View*~

"I'm sorry, I'm waiting for…" before the rest of my sentence could leave my mouth, I realized just how out of place my comment would seem. The girl who stood before me was beautiful, I had to admit, with auburn hair and sparkling emerald eyes that perfectly matched the dress she wore, and the strings of jewels that were braided through her hair. But, me, being me…well, dances were one of the things that made me the most nervous. I guess you could say that I was…allergic…to them.

But I was in a time that was not my own, a time where it would be almost dishonorable to refuse to dance with a lady. Not that she had actually asked me to dance…that would seem almost improper, I suppose. But she was hinting at it, in a manner that was so subtle that it…wasn't. I bowed carefully…one of the habits that I'd picked up from my 'father,' and reached out to take her gloved hand. "I'd be delighted."

As the dance finally ended, I glanced around, trying to catch a glimpse of one of my 'friends.' The only ones that I saw were Izzy and Sora…together…which seemed unusual to me, seeing as how there _were_ eight of us. Not to mention the fact that it was Sora and _Izzy_ who were standing together. He turned at that moment, and caught my eye, and then inconspicuously motioned towards the nearest door with his head. I gave a barely imperceptible nod, and turned back to the green-eyed girl that I'd just danced with. 

"You'll have to excuse me, I'm afraid, my lady." Once again, another acquired habit. "There is someone that I must speak to." I bowed again, and then hurried towards Izzy and Sora, trying not to look like I was in too much of a hurry. As a threesome, we headed towards the door. 

"The others are waiting," Izzy murmured. "We came back in to find you."

I nodded. "Thank god! I swear that I'm allergic to all these girls wanting to dance with me."

I saw Sora give a small smile at that, but nothing more. Izzy fought back a bout of laughter.

"It's about time," Tai growled when we reached the others. I just ignored him.

"We've got to hold the meeting now, since we might not get another chance for a while," Izzy said, before clearing his throat. "I have some information that you might be interested in."

Everyone looked at him expectantly, myself included. "By analyzing the way in which we arrived here, as well as from some help from our friendly demon-lookalike friend who got us here in the _first_ place…" no one corrected him on the fact that it was most likely Kari's fault that we were here. But he didn't get any further into his sentence, because there were other comments, not to mention questions.

"You mean that…guy?" Mimi demanded.

"He was here?" TK exclaimed in surprise. "How did he follow us?"

"He reminds me of someone…" Kari added in, before once again falling silent.

Me, I started to have a panic attack. A _good_ panic attack, if that's possible. "If he could get here, then we can get there, and we won't be stuck here for the rest of eternity, and we can go back, and then go home, and I won't have to be allergic to dancing anymore, or maybe I will, but we'll go home, and this curse will be gone, and everything…" I stopped when I saw how everyone was staring at me. "Is it _my_ fault that I want to go home?"

"Does anyone have aspirin?" Tai inquired. Naturally, I just glared at him.

"You guys!" When Izzy's attempt to catch our attention failed, he tried again. "Will you all just SHUT UP?" that seemed to do it, and we all fell silent.

"Okay, good. Now let me continue, unless you _want_ to stay here."

"Get me out of here as soon as possible, and I'll love you forever," was Mimi's response. Both Matt and Tai ended up glaring at Izzy. When she added, "But not as much as I love Tai, of course," the aforementioned stopped his glaring, but Matt didn't. Izzy didn't even seem to notice.

"Okay. You all remember how we got here, right? We all threw our powers into the portal, and we arrived here. Now, remember that we arrived here because someone didn't want to go home. Well, this guy…he wouldn't give me his name…gave me this information. We can do basically the same thing in order to get back to where we started. There will be no portal involved, however. This time, all we have to do is willingly give up our powers. When all of us have done so, we will be taken back. Provided that someone doesn't mess it up again." He didn't so much as look at Kari as he said that. "I was also told that we can do it one of two ways. We can either all give up our powers at the same time, or we can do it separately, at points in time when each of us feel the need to go home, to ensure that we _do_ want to go home, and to guarantee that nothing will go wrong." He paused for a breath before adding, "So? What's it going to be?"

Silence befell us for several moments, each of us thinking our own thoughts. Me, I was undecided. I wanted to go home, which would mean voting that we all gave our powers at the same time. But if we did that, something could go wrong again…so the safest way would be to give up our powers one by one, when each of us felt the want or need to do so. Finally, Mimi spoke up.

"I want to go home," she said decisively. "Let's do it now." Tai was quick in agreeing with her.

"Go back now," Kari agreed almost immediately, and a far-away look once-again entered her eyes. "Must go back…" she murmured. I wasn't sure if she was even aware of speaking or not.

There was silence for several more moments before TK cast his vote. "Let's do it. Let's go home."

"I'd have to agree," I finally said. "Let's do it."

Everyone turned expectantly towards Matt and Sora. "Well?"

Matt had a stubborn look in his eyes, a stubborn look that seemed suspiciously dark and not-very-good to me.

"I'm not leaving."

For a moment, we all just kind of stared at him.

"Why the hell not?" Tai demanded. A dangerous look entered his eyes as realization dawned upon him. "You selfish little…you bastard! You want to stay because you're engaged to Mimi. That's why you want to stay." He looked mad enough to try to kill Matt at the moment. He snarled angrily. "You're going to keep us all from going home because you want things to be _your_ way!"

"Leave him alone, Tai!" Sora suddenly responded, her voice just as angry. "I want to stay, too. I…I think that I may actually have a chance at happiness, here."

Tai seemed to be at a loss for words at that, but the rage on his face did not fade.

"It seems that we're decided," Izzy finally said. "We can't safely risk going home with not only one, but _two_ of us undecided. We could end up…_anywhere!"_

"And now, if you'll excuse me, Mimi and I had better be heading back to the ball. We'll be missed, by now." With that, Matt clasped Mimi's arm, the look on his face clearly saying that he would drag her back into the room if she didn't follow. With a helpless look on her face, she followed.

"That little…that…"

"Leave it alone, Tai," I sighed wearily. "It won't do any good. Perhaps he'll see that he's wrong, and eventually give up his power. As it is, the rest of us can do so, and just wait on him."

"And me," Sora said, holding her head high. "And I doubt that, even if Matt does, I will not change my mind."

Tai scowled at her. "I always thought that you were the kind of person who would do what was right, no matter what _you_ wanted. I guess I was wrong."

"And I never thought that you were so _selfish!_ Maybe I like it here. Maybe I'm _happy_ here." A far-off look entered her eyes. "Maybe I _belong_ here." And with that, she turned and stalked off.

~*Kari's point of View*~

I have to admit I was rather happy to get away from that meeting. The anger that Tai showed towards Matt, and towards Sora, scared me, in a way. I'd never seen him that angry before. Ever.

Personally, I also think that Matt and Sora should give up their powers, so that we can all go home, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it 'selfish.' After all, I'm the one that brought us here in the first place, so if it was anyone's fault, then it was mine.

I guess it's kind of obvious why I want to go back, so I won't talk about it for now. But I guess that _that_ isn't the _only_ reason. It would be wonderful to go back to where we started, and then go back in time, and stop all of this from ever happening. Maybe then I could learn to be truly happy.

Anyway, I knew that it was about time to be getting back to the engagement ball, so, finally, I reentered. Stopping near the doors, I slowly glanced around the room, searching for TK.

I finally found him, surrounded by a small group of young women. The words 'small' group being eight or nine. I could just barely see TK through a sea of taffeta, velvet, and lace. I could see his eyes seeking me, through the crowd of lustrous heads of hair, in five different shades of blond, as well as two different hues of brown, and a redhead. All of them were beautiful, I couldn't help but notice jealously, as they daintily waved jeweled, lace-covered fans with long, gorgeous tassels, laughing and talking amongst themselves, and trying to draw TK into their conversation. He seemed to be acting politely, but I could see that he wanted to speak with me. That helped to ease the jealousy…a little.

I pride myself on not being an overly jealous person, but I have to admit, with everyone thinking that I'd gone crazy…well, it had made me start to feel slightly insecure.

"I suppose the best way to talk to him would be to go join his fans," I whispered, deliberately trying to force amusement into my voice, even though there was no one close enough to hear me. Trying to look as graceful as possible, I glided towards him. I wasn't purposely trying to attract attention or anything, but I realized my mistake almost immediately. I should have tried to move inconspicuously towards him, to avoid being seen. Gliding forward purposefully, the crowds of people between TK and I parted, dropping bows and curtsies as I passed.

Inwardly, I sighed. _Inconspicuously would have been nice. Walking forward as if I have a specific destination in mind…well, I _am_ the princess of the Kamiya family. Or so everyone assumes._

The good point was that when I neared TK, the girls surrounding him parted for me, as well. I smiled at TK, trying my hardest to play the part of a princess greeting a prince. My eyes conveyed the message that I'd like to talk, I knew, but all I said was, "Will you walk in the gardens with me?"

TK nodded, bowing, and I knew that he, too, was trying to play his part. Which wasn't easy, I knew. It wasn't easy for _any_ of us. We were from a different time, with a completely different set of rules. And none of us had exactly been able to find a complete book of etiquette, either. Not that any of us would have been able to memorize it if we _had_ found one. With all the rules that I was finding, the book would have to be as big as a dictionary.

The people parted way once again as we passed, and I could hear the conversation start up again in groups that we had already passed. Finally, we reached the solitary, protective vacancy of the Tachikawa gardens.

We walked in silence for some time, until finally, we came upon a path that led to the middle of the garden, where a beautiful fountain in the shape of a dancing girl…a princess, I supposed…with one arm upraised, where the water flowed from, almost as if she were using some kind of magic. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that it looked suspiciously like Mimi.

"I think we need to make some kind of a plan," TK said, almost as if he were reading my mind.

I nodded. "That's what I was thinking. We _have_ to get back. Despite what Sora said, I highly doubt that we belong here. I _know_ we don't. Not us. Maybe those distant copies of ourselves belong here, but we can't take their places." I sat down on a stone bench near the fountain, and let my fingers trail over the stone-cold, flowery design that was carved into it. "They're as real as we are, and we've taken their places. Taken their places among families that they loved, and friends that they cherished. It isn't right."

"I agree," TK replied, sitting down next to me. "Somehow, we _have_ to change Matt and Sora's minds." He smiled wryly. "But with our luck, by that time, there'll be someone else who doesn't want to go home."

Remembering what had happened last time, I took offense at that remark, though I knew that I really shouldn't. "Look, TK, I'm sorry about what happened last time, but I swear it won't happen again."

TK turned towards me and waited until I met his eyes. "I didn't mean you, Kari. I meant that…oh, I don't know, by that time, maybe Mimi will have talked her way out of her engagement to Matt, become secretly engaged to Tai, and want to stay. Then we'd have a whole new problem, because Mimi can sometimes be more stubborn than Sora.

I smiled. "You've got that right. Or it's possible that something will happen between Sora and Izzy, that _they'll_ get engaged, and then _Izzy_ won't want to leave, either.

He gave me a strange look at that. "What makes you think that Izzy and Sora will get engaged?"

"Nothing, it was just a suggestion. But they _have_ been spending quite a lot of time together. You have to admit it."

"Okay, I admit, they _have_ been spending a lot of time together. But I think that, no matter what Sora says or does, she'll always be in love with your brother. And Izzy knows that."

I sighed again. "I wish that things could just go back to normal. Mimi and Matt, and Sora and Tai." I looked at TK. "Did you know that Tai and Sora are married?"

His expression of shock told me that either he had never known, or that he had, and had forgotten. "Remember? When we all separated, and you and I were in Ireland?" I smiled. "Those were good times. But remember how Mimi and Matt were in Europe? They were engaged."

"I know," TK replied. "Three more months, and they would have been married. But after that whole deal with you being kidnapped…they called it off."

I nodded. "I know. And then there was Tai and Sora. They were in Italy. And they got married. Remember how they changed their names to Riccardo and Isabella Soccerball?" I couldn't help but laugh at the memory. "Well, they never got divorced. Not that they could have, with all of humanity dead, of course." I fell silent for a moment, before continuing. "Sora still wears her wedding ring."

"Really? I've never noticed it."

"She doesn't wear it on her finger…she wears it on a chain around her neck. I saw it once, before we all got separated. I…I don't think…I don't think that Tai remembered," I finished quietly.

"I can't believe that even _Tai_ could be so forgetful."

I nodded. "But I think he did. I think he was. And I think that's why Sora is spending so much time with Izzy. I…I don't know, but I think that she might be trying to make Tai jealous."

"Sora!?" TK demanded incredulously. "Sora has _never_ been devious!"

"Oh, I don't think that she's trying to be devious," I answered. "I think she's doing it subconsciously. I think that in a way, she really does like Izzy, but that, deep down, she's hoping that Tai will notice and become jealous."

"Well, you've always been good at reading people, so I'll take your word for it." He hesitated for a moment, before adding, "I hope he _does_ become jealous."

"Why, so your brother will have another chance with Mimi?"

"Of course!"

I smiled once again…I hadn't smiled so many times in a long, long while. Much too long. "You haven't changed."

A pause; then, "Neither have you."

~*~

After TK left, I sat there for a long while, thinking. Just thinking.

It was that hesitation before he answered me that finally pushed me over the edge. It was what showed me that I really _had_ changed. I had seen it in the eyes of my 'friends.' Even in the eyes of my _brother._ But not in TK's eyes. He had acted generally the same around me, with one or two exceptions. But it was that hesitation, that one tiny little pause that let me know that it had all just been an act.

I didn't want it to be like that between us. I never again wanted to hear a hesitation like that, a silence that seemed to stretch on for eternity, though in reality, it was less than a second. I didn't want to look at him, tomorrow, or the next day, or even the day after that, and see in his eyes what I saw in the other's eyes. Conviction. Conviction that I was crazy, that it _was_ my fault.

I knew it was my fault that we were here; I blamed myself completely for that. And I knew that everyone else did, too, with the exception of Tai and TK. Tai would deny it, or at least try to, because I was his beloved little sister. But eventually, he would see it; eventually, he would _believe_ it.

But TK…I couldn't accept that from him. I couldn't bear to know that _he_ thought that it was all my fault, too.

I wanted things to be normal again, as they were before. God, how I wanted to go back to Japan, to being Kari Kamiya, younger sister of Tai Kamiya, girlfriend of TK Takashi. To go to school again. What I wouldn't give to do _homework_ again, if it would get me back to my old life.

Or, if I couldn't go all the way back to Japan, then Ireland would do. To go back to being Raina Anne, room mate to Aaron. To sit in our apartment, mine and TK's, all day like we used to, watching TV, and eating junk food in order to keep away from anyone who might learn our secret.

Anywhere but here.

Anywhere but _now._

Anything but knowing that TK thought that I was…different.

And there was only one way to do that. I _had_ to convince Matt and Sora to give up their powers. It was a selfish act for an equally selfish reason. But everyone, at one point in his or her life, has their moment to shine in the selfishness' spotlight.

Besides, we _didn't_ belong here. Matt and Sora would truly be happier in our own world. True, Matt was engaged to Mimi, here. But Mimi didn't love him…or at least didn't _realize_ that she loved him. And Tai didn't love Sora. Or…at least didn't _realize_ that he loved her. Staying in this world wouldn't change that. But in our world, going back in time…perhaps everyone would go back to the old _couples_ too.

So I had to convince them. I also had to hope that the others would give up their powers…soon.

And I had to give up mine.

I'll admit, I've become accustomed to my power, to being able to control the element of Light wherever I am, wherever I go. It's become a part of me. By giving it up, it would be gone. I would no longer be able to sense that ability, waiting for me to use whenever I wanted to. But I had to do this. I _had_ to.

Sinking to my knees beside the fountain, I pressed my hands against the stone pathway that led around it in a circle.

"I give it up," I murmured, and held up one hand as if making an offering to an unseen being. To the being that had helped…if you can call it that…us get here. "Take it. _Take it,_ please."

And then, it was gone.

It was done. I had given it up. I let my proffered hand slowly lower to once again rest on the ground. "I did it." I lifted my head. "I did it. Now I just have to get the others to do the same."

~*~

~*???'s point of View*~

From where I watched, perched high above the Tachikawa family castle, I saw the young girl that called herself 'Kari,' carefully hold up one hand. I wasn't close enough by a long shot to hear what she said, but somehow, her words drifted to me on the slight breeze that was in the air.

"I give it up," I heard her say, and shock spread through every inch of my body. The girl was actually going to do it! She was actually going to try to get home! "Take it. _Take it,_ please."

And so I did.

One down…seven to go. 

To be continued…

Well? What did you think?

Gatomon_1


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